inspired
call me a lazy artist, but i’ve never been one of those people who could sit at a desk for 8 hours and make beauty happen. i was thinking about the way i like to make my cards and i realized that i only like making one or two a day. because i like to make them based on what inspired me that day.
i know they say any art form – be it writing, painting, singing – is 90 percent perspiration, 10 percent inspiration. they say you can’t wait for inspiration to strike, but that you have to work to bring about the inspiring moments.
this is all good and true. and i know what “they” (whoever they are) are trying to do. they’re giving we who fancy ourselves as artists a reality check. they’re helping us become consistent at turning out great art (or at least good art). in their very western, industrialized, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps way, they’re reminding us that anything worth doing is hard work.
but i think i’m on to something. you see, i’ve done the whole assembly line thing. i’ve cranked out over 50 cards in a few days’ time. but there was something missing, if only in my heart.
today, i realized i’ve figured out an alternative for myself to this task-master way of creating art. and it has to do with living in a constant state of awareness. awareness of the world around me. awareness of the nuances in a strangers face. awareness of a really mucked-up moment that becomes a vessel of grace and mercy. awareness of a blade of grass or a sunrise or the scent of jasmine in the summer air.
i don’t have the luxury of seven- or eight-hour days spent in my studio designing and crafting cards. my “perspiration” comes in taking care of my son and managing our home. i don’t even have the luxury of two hours in my studio most days. but i have found that a humble spirit attuned to my sphere – in the midst of broken-down washing machines, dirty dishes, trips to the grocery store – keeps me centered in a place of wonder all day long.
no, i don’t have to be in my studio to be at work. with a ratty notepad, a satchel full of fabric scraps, and a heart overflowing with appreciation, i find myself at work all day. but somehow it doesn’t feel like work at all.
if you’re looking for an inspiring card to give to one you love, please consider a pendrops couture card, found here, in my etsy shop.
