“Do not doubt that you are born to create. Do not believe for a minute that the realm of art belongs only to others. Do not believe what you have been told or think you heard: that you are incapable, unimaginative, not artistic…. If you have believed these things and woven your garment from doubt and fear, disrobe and look within. Find what brings you joy and go there. That is your place to create, to move with the spirit, for the Muse lingers near the home of your joy. Creativity is of the inner realm. Each of us becomes our own expert….In our creating, we ourselves are created, added to, enlightened. What matters is the movement, the union with spirit, that subtle drive that wakes us from our sleep, takes us from our dreams, and invites us to become the dream expressed.”
--Jan Phillips, Marry Your Muse
Accepting that I was 'creative' was a big thing for me. Yes I could write, reasonably well when I thought about it, but that was something I took for granted. And yes I could sew, and do crafts, cook, and find other forms of expression but I just considered that 'normal'.
ReplyDeleteI know why I started painting on a conscious level but I am not sure what internal motives drove me - I sucked at art at school and always considered myself as hopeless in the 'arty' way.
Oh the joy, the freedom and the liberation to discover that I wasn't Monet or Picasso but I didn't have to be. My style is just perfect - for me. It may or may not ever be commercially accepted, or critically acclaimed but that isn't the point of creativity.
All of this creativity is a part of me, and a part that I celebrate as often as possible :-)
Another fabulous post Vickie!
Hi mountain girl,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post.
A desire for originality and the intuitive connection to the spirit of art expression is one of the reasons I have never ventured into art schooling or competitions. The journey into the joy of expression and learning to overcome the internal critic has mattered more to me. I wanted to learn but I also wanted to keep my own expression so I have been very selective about influence.
I discovered when I was exhibiting watercolor and gourd art initially, that when people are drawn to my art they come into my booth to look more closely and to meet me. When they aren't drawn to my art, they walk by and I don't have to deal with them. This was a wonderfully freeing observation.
Art making and art appreciation are both very personal experiences. Whenever I'm in an art oriented workshop, whether visual art or writing, I love everything I see and hear. Everyone's expression is different, fresh and unique. And when we have to dig deep to express ourselves creatively, an intimacy develops among the participants that makes the experience even more enriching.