I suppose the silence on here is a good thing... we're all busily and happily working away, right? Well, not quite in my case. I was quite busy preparing for a solo show not long ago. Towards the end of the build up, I took a workshop and maybe derailed myself. I came back from New York City full of inspiring ideas, but just as I had dealt with on location, was unable to express what was in my head on the canvas. I seriously have pages in my journal/sketchbook where I thought I should just quit. Focus on being on the PTA, a dedicated mother and housekeeper, maybe get a part time job to fill in the economic gaps... I really hit a low and was seriously thinking that it was over. I've done this before, but not this bad.
Then I went to my bookshelf and picked up "Art & Fear" by David Bayles and Ted Orland which I'd read years ago - and then downloaded it from Audible to have it read to me in bed at night (lots of sleepless nights during this bleak time too).
What a huge help it was. After just a couple of chapters, I was ready to try again and cut myself some slack. It was as if the book had been written directly to me. I read passages aloud to my husband - things which described my angst, how hard it is to separate my art failures from me as a person, how much I demanded of myself, etc. There are a lot of great ideas in this book and if you are like me, a perfectionist and rather hard on yourself, its a great reminder that art is about imperfections and interpretation and its personal and most definitely not formulaic.
So I am back on track. I'm allowing myself to enjoy the summer and not stress about production. I am taking a slower approach. I have goals for the next steps of my art journey - another thing the book suggests. Its always good to have something to look forward to. And I do.
There must be thousands of inspiring books on creativity out there, what has moved you?
-- Robin
