What inspires you? What exactly is it that triggers the creative spark within?
What's more, can you bring that up "on command" or does it remain elusive and unpredictable?
I have been down in one of life's creative valleys for a while now, staring at the large pile of "started but not finished" work that has been building up for some a long time now. I seem to get started OK, but then I run out of go-juice far to quickly.
You could say I have plenty of urge to start working, but that's where it ends.
I have contemplated the idea that not every piece of art we start necessarily was intended to be finished. Maybe it is just "testing a concept," like a sketch.
My old standby for inspiration has always been to walk around in nature... which I don't get to do as much in winter as during the rest of the year, for climate reasons.
Ironic that winter is typically when I have the most time to create, but my inspiration level is often at its low point during the dark months.
I have a couple of sizeable commissions on the not too distant horizon, and I am starting to feel a little worried about them. Worried about getting to the right frame of mind to actually complete these projects in the allotted timeframe. And yes, there is a timeframe... because they involve presentations on dates that are in the calendar, IN INK.
I also know that I generally feel less and less inspired, the more pressure is piled onto my reality!
Much of the time, that pressure comes from my own internal sense of what is right and wrong. When I take on commissions, someone took the time to check out my work and then to ask me to do something "special" for them. In return, I feel a sort of obligation to give them my best work... not just "something I whipped up," because I had no other option.
We often read or hear about "angst ridden artists" but seldom do people drill down inside what that actually means... and it undoubtedly means different things to different people.
Whereas I don't have much worry about whether or not my work is "any good" in the broad sense of the word, I do end up with a fair amount of worry over whether people who specifically request something are happy with the outcome... or disappointed.
It's one of the reasons why I often turn down requests for commissions, even though they definitely can be quite lucrative.
Interestingly enough, I don't feel that way about my photography, which is sort of my second level/backup creative expression.
I suppose I just have to chill the eff out and trust in the process of the Universe!
Besides, I still have a couple of months before the commission situation gets really urgent, and spring and lighter days will come along before that.
Thanks for visiting, and feel free to leave a comment — engagement is always welcome!
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All images are our own, unless otherwise attributed