My creative space is in a state of disarray. Crochet project on hold. Collaging projects not started. Novel project not progressing.
Gifts treasured but unacknowledged. Prints to be framed. Receipts to be filed. Journals to be populated.
Piles and piles of books. Books not read. Books read but not recorded in my book diary of over ten years. My intention to list all the words my little 'un knows, and the letter I meant to write her on her first birthday, still refusing to travel from my brain to my neck to my right arm to my fingers, still subject to the tyranny of distance between my imagination and a piece of paper.
Andrea Scher asks: "How can you create what you most need to find?"
The Creative Beast asks: "How do you embody grace?"
I suspect the answer to these things is not dissimilar. I need a clearing, I need a focus. I need to create a space that nurtures my creative energy, that invites and celebrates its fragmentation (rather than remaining overwhelmed and deterred by it). I need some play.
A tangent, not unrelated:
I spent my little 'un's nap times yesterday clearing out my wardrobe, pulling out my Winter clothes, packing away my Summer gear, bagging up things that I haven't worn for a long time or just don't fit anymore. For once, I approached with task of what to hang in my wardrobe with the premise: What do I actually wear? Not what do I wish I could wear, or what do I think a girl like me should be wearing? But, among all these piles and piles of stuff, where are the small number of pieces I wear on high rotation, the overwhelming majority of the time?
I ended up with a small number of quite casual coordinates, purchased for their roominess but recently quite snug, all in dark muted colours. Colour, I thought, I need more colour.
So. Colour and play. Freedom to create and grow. Fun. What's missing is the fun.
For more fun creative spaces, visit Kootooyoo.
Hi Kat, I have experienced the same thing! Maybe it is just time to review the mondo list and start prioritising again - which dreams are more important(?)
ReplyDeleteI am sure you can catch up with the rest as they will all be there for you.
Joe xx
Yes, clearings are good. I gave my studio a good clean out last night, and then this morning I honoured the clear space with just a little bit of painting.
ReplyDeleteI get to a point where I become quite blocked if the physical space is too crowded. But then sometimes I wonder if the space gets crowded as a result of being blocked. Whichever it is, the clearing of the physical space always unblocks the mental and emotional.
i too am in need of some massive clearing! i do clean and clear my space in dribs and drabs, when i'm not creating artwork or gifts for friends, but i am definitely feeling the need to have a nice long summer vacation for time to do the Big Clean Out and some relaxation but i don't have enough paid vacation days to indulge in that =-( i may consider the Dream Lab as my 'vacation' time... =-)
ReplyDeleteisn't it the truth! we have so much stuff around, so much intention to have fun, and then the stuff gets in the way and the intention gets squashed and then real life layers in on top of all of our fretting and worrying that we're not having fun. i gave away almost all of my art supplies earlier this year and it was like having a thousand pound weight lifted off my chest - it didn't cure everything, but it was a start and i feel so much more free now that the mess is managed!
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