CREATIVE INSPIRATION

Moving Forward from Here

Creativity takes many forms, too numerous to list. Sometimes creative ideas come to us from the outside, and other times from inside ourselves. Creativity is simply about making unpredicted adjustments, recombining sensory data in new ways, or taking risks in thoughts and/or actions. Creativity is walking the path that everyone else isn’t on. It is available to everyone, everywhere, all of the time. I love reading, discussing and writing about how we incorporate creativity into our daily lives.

My Moving Project has taken a year from conception to execution. During the first eight months, I maintained a daily art practice and poured most of my creative and physical energies into the activities of painting and writing. Moving required mostly mental work: planning, organizing, decision making, scheduling, and research. I found I could easily balance those multi-dimensional mental and physical demands.

But the last four months have been different. Beginning with packing my belongings into movable storage containers, more and more physical work was required for my Move to progress. Balancing anything else with the Moving process resulted in frustration, self-criticism, exhaustion, and impossible expectations. Eventually I gave myself over to 100% attention on whatever was needed to see the Move through to its conclusion.

Author’s new studio space under construction

I learned some things about myself and about life as a result. I am a year older than I was when I first thought about moving me and my house, and I think I’m a little wiser. Of course, I’ve said that in the past after other major upheavals, yet am surprised at how much I still learn. When I set a goal (like this Move), I tend to get hyper-focused. That is a useful quality, but it can also get in my way by restricting or even blinding my peripheral vision. And I have learned over and over again that peripheral vision is where Creativity happens.

Last week, a poem presented itself so I wrote it down.

Moving Forward

with a new house
and an old body that became 
a new house for twin aches:
a push ache and a pull ache

one ache a flower that unfolds 
and one that folds
one soft summer rain 
the other winter snow

in my dreams 
they travel with me 
like backseat drivers 
advising and correcting

when I don’t know 
where I am going

sometimes I dream
that I leave one of them 
at the rest stop
and simply drive on
 
if only I could decide which one.

             * * * * * *

Work from my archives, 2017, pastel on paper about 16 x 20 inches.

Wishing you as much forward momentum as you desire, the energy to follow through, and satisfaction in life and your creative endeavors. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey! Your comments are always appreciated. Celeste

One more thing to think about:

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