Musings of the Day
What if an Inspired Idea Has a Mind of its Own?
Hear this read aloud below
I have been in the habit of chasing down my creative visions as if they were trying to run away. Fear of losing that precious spark before it fades often keeps me in perpetual pursuit. I read something a while back that stopped me on the trail, causing me to totally re-evaluate this process. The question raised made me consider the possibility that my inspirations have a mind of their own and are in pursuit of MY attention. That they want me as much as I want them.
I had honestly never considered this before and somehow it gave me a bit of peace. Lately I’ve noticed that I’m more relaxed about my process and less worried about losing my visions and ideas. I know they’re there. I sense them coming to me and without grabbing at them and trying to corral them into a form before they slip by me like some naughty kid trying to get away with something, I am letting them be. Letting them dance around in my psyche and morph while I go about my life. That’s not to say that I don’t attempt to engage in the dance with them as this process evolves. I do. But I’m trying out a new way of going about dancing these days. Less structured and more free flowing, knowing that there is no hurry to get it right. Knowing that as we dance together, we both change and whatever materializes as a result needs to be thoroughly danced until it is ready to be born.
As a result of this “letting it be” stance I’m taking, I notice that my visions are finding me, playing around inside me and having more fun doing it. They are evolving before I have a chance to hunt them down and control them into some static form, the result being a more fully-formed vision once I finally take hold of it. My habit of jumping on every idea as if it was going to be my last has only caused me stress and many failed paintings, fabric projects and numerous stacks of unused materials all over my studio. When an idea or vision is one that just has to be born in physical form, it doesn’t fade away. It grows in intensity and burns brighter as I allow it to do what it does on the path to becoming whatever it wants to be.
I’ve had to let go of a lot in recent years, some things harder than others in the exiting, but looking back I’m aware of a certain perfection in the loss. Each one has left room for a new vision to find me, to grab my attention in the empty space left by what went before. That’s not to say that the losses weren’t hard to bear, but it’s getting a bit easier to let go. Trusting in my own visionary ability, the abundance of creative inspirations that flood my body regularly, allows me to live with the losses and embrace the temporarily empty spaces, knowing they will be flooded with riches in time.
You can see these images and more of my newly inspired work here.
I welcome all of your comments and insights. It's wonderful to hear when something strikes a cord, touches your heart, or opens up your vision to something new.
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