but I cheated: I could not figure out what Leslie meant when she asked "What do you give back to your creativity?" As I've said, I am not a deep thinker. So I went to the source. Leslie and I had a wonderful, telephone conversation earlier this week. I asked her to explain what she was getting at with that question. She pointed out to me that I do, indeed, give something back to my creativity: I give it my time and attention, for one thing. Which is kind of a big deal, when you explore that thought a bit more.
We agreed that everyone is creative, whether they choose to acknowledge that creativity or not. Every time you solve a problem, you are being creative. . . you create a solution. We talked about the plumber, the electrician, and the guy at the hardware store who are fascinated with what I do, intrigued by it, and always say, "Oh, but I couldn't do that, I don't have a creative bone in my body." We talked about how not too long ago, I would have said the same thing. I was always too practical to be creative, I thought. However, those two traits are not mutually exclusive. I choose to honor my creativity by giving it my time and attention, by making it a priority. That's what I want to do. If I didn't choose to do that, then it's because I would rather do something else, or something else is more important. But it's not because I am not creative.
I made these little 6" x 8" paintings yesterday, using up bits and ends of rolls of canvas. The were inspired by paint splatters on a couple of pieces of foam core that were on the receiving end of extra paint from other paintings I had been working on. Art guy called, business is dismal, he seemed a bit cranky, but who can blame him. At his direction, I am meeting with a couple of people today, showing them my latest work, including these pieces. I'm hoping they will be creatively inspired to buy something.
P.S. A little gem from the internet that has some bearing on this topic: http://www.jetsetlife.tv/robsblog/lifestyle/
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2 comments:
I love these pieces Mary! They remind me of keeping alternative time; clocks, and non circular movement. Love the red splashes. Also I love your post. The observations about the folks who do other work yearning to create, but not thinking of themselves in that light is poignant. Maybe you could start a class in your basement for people who are afraid they are not creative but want to be. With your willingness to experiment and explore it could be fantastic! Hey, that’s an idea….
Oh, these are so cool. Ever so cool.
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