Sunday, February 27, 2011

Ah Ha!

For a while now I have really been hard on myself for my lack of creativity. I head down to my studio and rearrange my space. I move this here & move that there (stall tactics - that I am VERY good at). Knowing that I have stalled enough, I sit and grab a canvas or my sketch pad, thinking I'm going to come up with something great....... and within 20 minutes I'm angry with myself and I shut the light off and turn away defeated once again. I beat on myself and send that creative spirit fleeing even further away.
I have been thinking a lot about this lately and I'm working very hard at putting an end to this destructive thought pattern. I have decided to cut myself some slack! When I was creating art full time to support myself and my son I was in the studio every waking minute with my hands dirty working on different projects - The creativity flowed as easy as breathing.

What changed? How did I fall off my path?

Feeling a bit burnt out an opportunity arose and I took a full time graphic design position with a publishing company. That was five years ago. Don't get me wrong I am very thankful that in this economy I have a job. Its just that everyday I'm creating at my job for someone else and then when I get home I have nothing left for me! Its time for some balance in my life.

I've recently had one of those Ah-HA! Moments.

When I go into the studio to create and nothing happens its not because I'm not creative or because I suck as an artist and have no talent. Its because I have put my creative spirit in a different direction. I need to be a whole lot nicer to myself and lighten up! I can't expect myself to creatively preform on command if I haven't been working in my studio in a long time. I am going to turn that creative spirit back in a direction that makes ME happy! Yea!

So here is my plan!

I have been kicking around the idea for a while of taking a class from Paula Walton - I'm lucky enough to only live about an hour away from her. So I did it and signed up! On March 12th I have a private class on spun cotton ornaments!

I also will be taking an online course in June - Painting with Plaster.

I am so excited to be getting my hands dirty again! I will keep you posted on this journey back to creativity!