Fly With Me...But Don't...

Flying…humming…flowing...elevated…

These are words that describe how I feel when my work is…well, working. Sometimes it seems like there is this mysterious aura surrounding artists, like we’re flying, humming, flowing, elevated all the time. Like the art comes easily and intuitively. Let me take off the mask for a second and be the first to admit that it doesn’t always work that way. In fact, often I find myself confronted with a project that just won’t leave my head and yet won’t give up a solution. What to do??

Sandra Carpenter, editor of The Artist’s Magazine, gives a simple answer: When in doubt, don’t. As in…
Don’t expect to like everything you do.
Don’t set goals that are too high.
Don’t resist chance and change.
Don’t block your unconscious with prodding.
Don’t discount a piece of work because it came easily.
Don’t judge a work while it’s in progress.

I especially found resonance with the second one, but not for the reasons you might initially imagine. Carpenter goes on to say, “I’ve generally found that if I set goals that are too high, what I accomplish turns out to be a letdown. When a painting is progressing well, it takes on a life of its own. The best thing you can do is follow the course the work is taking. Forcing the pursuit of your original intentions will only lead to disappointment.”

How does this all relate to inspiration and creativity? Well, sometimes I have to let go of my conscious goals and plans to let the work lead. My intuition takes over (if I haven’t “blocked it with prodding!”) and…

I’m flying…flowing…humming…elevated…

Namaste.