Thoughs on the Creative Process

So I've learned alot in the last couple of weeks. Most of it has to do with the creative process. I thought I would share something I've discovered with you.

I've been working on some art for a book and the deadline is looming. I've been very diligent about going into the studio and working on it every day. At first, things were going fairly smoothly-I got a good start but then I kind of hit a brick wall. Sometimes when this happens, depending on what I doing and how soon it needs to be finished, I will just grit my teeth and keep pushing through. This time though, I decided to take a different approach.

This time, when I felt like I didn't know what was suppose to happen next, I walked away. I worked on other things and just let the piece marinate for awhile. I had plenty to do anyway-I was working on the speech I was giving at the celebration last week, so I focused on that instead. Meanwhile, I cleared the art right off my desk so I wasn't even sneaking peeks at it while I worked on other things.

Saturday afternoon, I unpacked it from the project box I'd tucked it away in and as soon as I had another look at it, I knew exactly what to do next. I didn't have to stress about "what next?" at all. I feel pretty pleased with the progress I made over the weekend and now I am waiting to see what the next step is.

It's interesting to try working in a way I've never worked before. It's certainly a more passive way of approaching things than I usually do. I'm just letting the process unfold and seeing what comes of it. It feels less stressful. I'd never given any thought before to how the way I work feels. I don't know that I could always work this way, but it's good to know that it does work and it's an option.

I think that part of being an artist is not being afraid to take risks and to experiment. There's that saying "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got." Sometimes it pays to get out of your creative rut. If nothing else, you learn something and that's the whole point, isn't it?

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I am going to post about the Celebration of Ability which I spoke at on Friday, I'm just waiting for some photos to show up in my email before I do. Stay tuned!