Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow ,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.”
I have been loving black and white images lately. And that feels very indicative of my recent attempts to get down to a fundamental level of me in my art. I’ve said it here a few times lately…my goal this year is to work on my art more than on my skills or the direction of my business. And I keep having to reel myself back in after repeatedly getting caught up in the whirlwind of artistic expression that abounds around me. I keep dreaming and wishing and striving and envying…and then I remember the quiet and unique voice inside me that wishes to be heard…the only voice that sounds familiar and comforting and true.
I think that we can get misled by what we interpret as inspiration. True inspiration comes from within us; it’s a drive that is almost impossible to ignore…a thirst that must be quenched and a hunger that must be fed. False inspiration results from envy…from trying to keep up…from feeling inadequate. True inspiration is fed and fortified by our senses…including our visual senses. However there is a strong distinction between creating from these two very different places.
My art means nothing unless it comes from a place of true inspiration. And I almost wish not to create unless I can see myself in my work. Otherwise it’s unsatisfying. Sure…I can work hard to emulate something that I have seen, admired, and desired. But if I have not created out of a place of true inspiration then no thirst has been quenched, no hunger has been fed, and therefore the work has no significant value to me. And why would I, or anyone, create art {a deeply personal and spiritual thing} without it satisfying something deep within themselves.
Art should be created for the artist alone. If others are inclined to appreciate that art then that is wonderful! If not, it’s okay. Because what keeps the artist creating if her sole purpose is to please others? Once others have been pleased than the artist might as well stop creating. But if the artist is quenching her own thirsts and feeding her own hungers, then, by a very fundamental, animalistic nature, she will have to continue to do so.
I have heard a LOT of people lately {this week especially} struggling with a lack of creative energy, motivation, or inspiration. This type of creative ebb is so common within normal creative cycles and even more common ‘in the bleak midwinter’. If you are feeling this way, I would just like to encourage you to lean into this time of rest. Use it to gather nourishment for the inevitable return of your creative spirit! Embrace your soul’s need for recuperation. And know, above all, that you are not alone!
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