"Saint Anthony and Jesus" Altar Statue ~Sold~
Inspiration is a curious thing...my favorite time to think on new things to create, is as I'm drifting off to sleep or as I'm just waking up. My eyes are closed, and I'm hovering in between being awake and dreaming. My mind swirls around and my thoughts feel loose and are able to flow more freely. Sometimes if I'm having a difficult time finding the solution to finishing a piece or finding a place where I'm pleased with it, I'll fall asleep thinking about it. When I awake in the morning, I'll usually have a vision in my mind of how to fix it or finish it. The mind is a powerful tool!
Last week, I hit my first big wall in a long time. I would sit down to paint, and I couldn't connect my mind and hands. They just wouldn't paint as I wanted them to. I was making simple mistakes, putting the wrong colors down and painting sloppy messes. It was so frustrating and I felt trapped by myself! Painting for a living, requires me to do my craft on a regular basis (as I would if I were going to any other job). I used to think that I should force myself through these creative blocks and just make something, even if it didn't feel or look right to me. Now I believe that is all wrong! The mind, like the body, requires rest. I exercise my creative muscle all the time, and I think it finally said E-N-O-U-G-H! So, after frustrating myself for the first half of the week, I threw in the towel, and just took it easy on myself with the remainder of the week. I had a lovely coffee date with my Mom and walked around in the sunshine. I had a wonderful chat with my dear friend, Kate. I found that by Sunday evening, my spirits were lifted and rejuvenated. My mind has become unblocked, and the ideas have started to flow again like a river. So, I've learned not to force creativity, and you can't create inspiration if it's not there! Do you have any thoughts on inspiration or creative blocks?
"Vintage Circus Snake Charmer" Paper Doll
4 comments:
I so can relate in a way! Even if only my blogging and my photography are my creative outlets, and they're just hobbies. But when it comes to photography, sometimes I can't stop taking photos of everything and anything and other times, I just can't muster the energy...
I think it's important to walk away for a short while, do something fun (I listen to music which helps me a lot).
Great post!
I also drift off right before I sleep and let my tightly-strung conscious mind unwind so that new images and inspirations come to me. That's why I like to take "cat naps" because sometimes I'm so boggled down trying to push inspiration come that nothing happens. Your art definitely shows that once again, Leila your muse is helping you perfectly.
I can definitely relate to the creative burn out! Even though my work isn't financially supporting me I do treat it as a full time job and I tend to work weekends too and sometimes it's just too much and my mind shuts down. For me retreating to books is always a help and of course good conversation with friends never hurts. :)
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