Some of us have come later than we would like to the creative journey (myself included). Sometimes there is remorse, a feeling of all the time we have lost doing other things...travelling, raising children, building a career, finding ourselves...I used to paint and draw when I was a teenager but no-one ever encouraged me or supported me so I tucked it away in the back of my heart. I didn't start taking classes and committing to painting until I was 30 . Now-at 41-this is how I feel about the creative journey. Nothing is EVER lost on this path we are on; we bring all of who we are to this very moment. Everything that we go through in life has a meaning, a purpose that we may or may not understand. Yet if we trust in the process, trust in ourselves, the Universe and life...I feel that the creative journey begins in every moment. Sometimes...we are not destined to do our greatest work until we are 60 or 70 or beyond...and maybe our greatest work is raising a child or planting a garden or being kind...these are all acts of creativity...hubris...fertile soil for us all to bloom and grow and flourish. I once had a "friend" make fun of me being an artist...she started defining me, telling me what I was and was not, putting me in a box. In that moment I felt small, hurt, angry and it stuck with me for a long time...I felt unsure of myself. Now I know that even that experience had a meaning and purpose in my creative life today. Every moment we can do something creative ...like choose to believe in ourselves or support someone else in their creativity. In every moment there is the potential to begin the journey-anew...with fresh eyes...with a fresh heart. It is never too late for this journey that we are all on...Every moment...we have a new chance.
5 comments:
I too, am new to painting, and have found it inspiring to put paint to canvas at the age of 46.
this gave me chills. thank you for your inspiration and your truths! i need to remember this post. it reminds me to not feel rushed, to stay in the moment, to accept all that comes each moment and each day.
did you change your blog header? i love it!
xo
Print this out in HUGE letters for all to read!
I too am coming to understand how all the little drops of things that have happened to me have been quietly building up inside and are part of who I am today. I cannot know how all the pieces will fit together, but I do believe in a final puzzle/image falling into place/a life With Meaning.
I too have been claiming sole responsibility for defining who I am and my role in things, and ignoring other people's need to box me up and in. Seems like we are staging our own personal Renaissance? :)
From your previous entry about photography - are you starting a self portrait project? I have been blown away by the impact of that activity upon my life, my psyche, my spirit. I love the idea of leaving these clues for future generations about who we were and what we saw/believed/cherished. Picking up my camera is my way of laying claim to my life: I am both the subject/protagonist and the author of this narrative. Hmmm ... you've got me thinking about my weekly reflection :)
So good to have you back and blogging :) Rested and ready for our course together!
"The creative journey begins in every moment". I absolutely love that. I allowed myself to start following this path to creativity and authenticity only recently myself and lots of times I feel like I don't deserve to be here, I'm not good enough, etc... I have to remind myself every day that we all start out as artists with an infinite ability to create and appreciate beauty. Some choose to continue down the creative path and others go a different direction. I am choosing Creativity. Not because I'm particularly good at it but because it fills my soul to try and that's all that really matters.
Thanks for always posting something that reaches out to me!!
Thanks for the reminder Soraya. Nothing is ever wasted. So often knowledge or a craft that I learned years ago will surface in my artwork.Many times I've thought a workshop I've done was a waste of time or irrelevant only to find that what I learned was invaluable at a much later date.
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