Andre Malraux
a tiny pot of herb seedlings in a pretty recycled tomato tin.Hello, fellow Art Jewelry fans! I'm proud to be the newest member of Love My Art Jewelry! I look forward to sharing lots of information with you all and contributing to building a thriving art jewelry community! I look forward to hearing from you all! I will also be helping man Love My Art Jewelry's Twitter, so be sure to follow our tweets! You never know what will pop up there!
For the better part of the last two months, I've been going through a artistic rut. At first, I blamed it on what I like to refer to as "Craft Show Hangover"...wherein you prepare really hard for a large show and then once it's over, you just sort of don't know what to do with yourself. I felt burnt out and was experiencing the joy that I had previously experience with my beads and jewelry.
a bit of a work in progress journal page inspired by my seedlings...As a mixed-media artist, I began to feel the pull to return to some of the types of work I have done in the past, namely painting, sketching, and book binding, as well as do a bit of gardening. It felt strange to return to things that have not been a staple of my creativity for some time, but I decided, after some thoughtful soul searching to go with my gut and see where this road would lead.
After several weeks of sifting through the flotsam and jetsam of my mind, I have begun to see creeping rhythms of patterns creeping back in.
new charm pendants in progress inspired by my herb garden...The best part is that switching up my routine has informed new work, refreshed my spirit, and led to new discoveries!
How do you recharge your batteries when you're in a rut?
How do you work through difficult spots in your work and creativity?
9 comments:
Welcome, Barbara. I think we all get to spots where there are just no creative urges to follow. It can be quite scary especially if this is your livelihood. I usually do two things. I walk away for a few days and do things like gardening or reading. Then I make myself go back into the studio and do repetitive work like pressing components from clay. Just the act of doing something that requires no though seems to free up the creative flow.
Barbara, Congratulations on joining a group of really wonderful artists! You're a great addition to the group. I think switching off mediums is a great way to recharge the batteries. It allows you to relax a little while still being creative! It's play time!
Welcome! I'm like you in that I have to go do something different for a while, then come back to it. Seems to refresh the soul.
so wonderful to have you aboard... like leann, i find a balance... doing something else (like lots of walking, i seem to get ideas when i am not trying so hard) or going back through my idea journal to see what got forgotten about and may connect... but i do find that making something simple like a component that requires little thought can also help to kick start the process as well... love those new leaves - and the painting that goes along with it...
a couple of days ago i saw a comment on your blog referring to julia cameron's books... i hadn't read any of them, but i did notice there is one dedicated to this phase (won't call it a problem, it is too common) - i think it was called 'finding water'...
Thanks for the warm welcome! I've also been revisiting a book that I have here called "The Artist's Quest for Inspiration" by Peggy Hadden and just after I penned this post, I came to the chapter on creative block and in it she quoted Anne Lamott from "Bird by Bird" in which they draw parallels for a stagnated flow and equate it to being empty...which I really liked. So, a better word than being blocked is more like saying, "If my glass is empty, how can it be refilled?" Just a different way to look at the same question.
Eight months ago (not like I'm counting) my family was faced with something that I would have never anticipated in an entire life time. It completely removed me from the world of creating anything that had to do with my beads, jewelry making or even reading our own blog. Thankfully, all of the wonderful people who are part of LMAJ took over and kept it going without a hitch..... When some of the dust settled....getting back into creating beads felt forced. Just so happens I was asked if I would submit some of my designs (there were only a handful) to a magazine right at the same time I was ready to find my way back to the jewelry world. That took me to an entirely new direction of creating more and more jewelry. I will get back into creating beads to sell in the future..... but I tend to follow where life takes me and go from there. There have been many interesting trips :o)
Welcome aboard!
MaryAnn
Oh - I really like what you said about being filled! I think thats perfect. LIke LeAnn, I like to take a break from it for a couple days or sometimes a week, or do repeptive things that bore me into being creative (I know thats not how Leann said it;-) But it does make me itch to be creative again.
Welcome, it's so nice to meet you! When I'm in a rut I try to do something that does not have anything to do with making jewelry. Trying a new recipe, gardening, reading magazines etc.
Sometimes I have to back away for several days before I start feeling that itch to create again.
I simply pick up the components I love best, colors I love best, and let them inspire me. Usually that gets me kick-started and I can start running full steam. :)
WELCOME BARBARA!!!!
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