Accepting the wait that makes creativity possible
Hello, lovely Readers,
I know I haven’t published recently, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing. OH, have I been writing! I can’t count the number of Threads I’ve started writing but never finished. It’s weird, ‘cause I like to finish what I start. I’m giving in to this new pattern for now and looking at it as a learning opportunity. I’m paying attention to how it feels, trying to balance my desire to finish a writing piece with my understanding that sometimes things just can’t be rushed.
It’s a precarious balance. I believe Creativity is a muscle that needs to be flexed as often as possible- daily, if our lives allow it, like going to the gym. Those of us who make our livings through our creative practices know they require consistent attention to develop fully. Consider them akin to medical students’ choosing the right classes to prepare them for treating patients. As artists, however, our course of study is somewhat less predictable. So, it is with mixed feelings I admit that, in addition to the hard work of showing up in the studio every day, sometimes I need to just sit back and wait. I need to wait for things inside myself to jell, a result of external events mixing with unique life experiences, to create anything of real value.
I often lay work aside, unfinished on the bench. The shapes and positions of the metal and stones as they haphazardly lay are kernels of larger ideas. I don’t always know from the get-go if I’m playing with pattern, texture, line weight or color when I start a new series, or which of those aspects does the best job helping me express an idea. Events outside the studio may need time to impact my thinking, perhaps a powerful social movement grabs my attention, or a cool new music video inspires a fresh color palette. There are no limits to what goes into the pot.
When I started writing seriously, I didn’t know how parallel writing would be to jewelry design. Naively, I came to Writing thinking it would be somehow easier to “work” than other forms of creativity, maybe because we all learn to write as a matter of course. We do not all learn other forms of creative communication, such as sculpting in clay or playing a musical instrument. We understand these practices require time and internal processing to develop into mature artistic expressions. I now know the same is true of words on a page.
I think what I’m asking of you, dear Reader, is to bear with me while my internal process does its work. I value your time and attention. Looks like I'll need some time to create something worthy of it.
-xo
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