Seasons of Creativity

 I created a ton of work in the early Spring and made all my deadlines for venues, let it go and put it all on autopilot, leaving the sales and marketing to the experts.

I focused my creativity on my house and yard for the Summer and found it refreshing and invigorating.  It allowed me a different way to express myself using my left brain for construction and repairs, while still using my right brain for the design aspects.

This experience was the perfect balance to my in-studio detail work, almost the complete opposite kind of creativity, working outdoors and physically moving about.  I really enjoyed this and toyed with the idea of quitting the jewelry business all together.  

Later I saw the big picture of creative expression.  Those with many interests (like myself) need to express and experience different things, trying our hand (and stretching our minds) on new projects.  Gardening can be very meditative and exhilarating at the same time.  Building and repairing can use a part of our brain that figures things out, using new tools and testing our dexterity and patience. 

The point being that perhaps different mediums have their season.  Why not, everything else does.  Look at the earth and Mother Nature, nothing is stagnant, it's always moving, changing, renewing. 
This insight has lead me to the conclusion that perhaps nothing really has to end, just change. 
It's also helped me to lighten up and not take things so seriously, it's only art, a means of expressing ourselves.  Having said that however, I would also add that we can't really live without it either, making it or looking at it.  We all need to experience art.

But I digress, I am not a writer, I am a creator of things mostly, so forgive me for rambling.  My hope is to bring other artists some insight into their own process by sharing mine.  Perhaps you are facing similar challenges, asking yourself questions about your own endeavors.  I suggest we relax, calm down, don't take it too seriously and just enjoy the journey.

When I did this I found that as summer wound down I started thinking about the studio again.  Much to my surprise I had some new design ideas flow through me, huh, well that was interesting.  Perhaps all I really needed was a little break from the studio work, some diversity to shake things up, or calm things down, what ever is needed. 

So I for one, will be looking farther ahead from now on, into the next season, the next year, but also staying in the moment of inspiration. 

Happy Creating!