Slow or dry periods will pass. I fill those spaces with other activities. Those may even inspire the muse to re-engage. Plus, I remind myself that "perfect is the enemy of good." Thanks for your inspiring messages.
Thank you, John. I love that saying, perfect is the enemy of good. One of my problems is that I have not had those spaces available to me lately. But this week I do! Happy about that. :)
I like to delve into my favorite books. They help to inspire me and make me feel that if I am not creating on a physical level at least I am learning something new or relearning something old. Everyday we are creating. For example, when we cook a new recipe or when we work in the garden. I am thrilled when I can share something new that I have learned with my family or friends. So I try to be forgiving with myself when I sit and stare at a blank sheet of paper or many of my paintings become bookmarks. It's all in the process of learning for me.
The need to get outside of myself becomes evident, but only after I unwittingly do so. If I sit and write, or chase after my inspiring ideas, through disciplined behavior…maintain a “just stick with-it” attitude, I fail. Yet, step outside of my comfort zone and I hit on new synapses!
You know, the go on vacation, attend a Cape Cod baseball game and listen to a Podcast in the car you didn’t pick out AND BAM! I’ve got things to get down on paper pronto. Including the recognition that I need to step out more often & am grateful for the New Moon and Kateri’s words.🕊️
I love that. I have found that to be true, also! For me, right now, I just have not had the time I'm used to having... you know. stretches of time. Hopefully one day again soon. :)
I go back to authors and artists who inspire me - grist for the mill as they say.
AND, I log into my favorite virtual world to build a story in 3D without words. The process not only rests my brain but gives me a way to visualize what I want to say with words. The serialized novel I am working on now was laid out first in 3D and I return to it regularly for inspiration.
I began work in the virtual world of Second Life more than 15 years ago. There, I tackled all kinds of projects - virtual training for nurses, live concerts, prototyping warehouses and products, psychological training for U.S. Army recruits, support groups for vets with PTSD, brainstorming and building banks of the future, and my personal favorite - building a 3D space to educate the public about HIV/AIDS for the National Library of Medicine.
Out of that project came what I called, "The Uncle D Story Quest." It was my vision of how to help debunk stigmas and fears about AIDS while generating empathy for those living with the virus. Using/driving avatars, visitors could walk into Uncle D's home to interact with and experience his life. For example, they could read his journals, listen to his phone messages and music, play with his cat, and even visit his dreams.
I recently decided to use the basic story for a larger story I'm serializing on Substack called, "We Stand in the Middle." I use the 3D build (which is quite large and complex) for filming, photographs, and inspiration. I also take groups on tours through the build.
If you'd like to actually see what I mean when I talk about a 3D build, here is a link to a recent interview I did:
I like to dive in to my papers, old work, new work, experiments, bits and pieces. Inspiration comes and goes but there is always something there to make me smile. I’m learning not to let it overwhelm me. 💕💕
On occasion, I root through the bin under my art table where I throw all my “failures.” You know, colors that didn’t come out right, landscapes that went wrong, ink blobs and smeary abstracts, etc. I look at all that detritus with new eyes, cut them up, rearrange them and create a collage. When I read your essay, I began to understand why I was somehow called to make these collages. The bits in the bin can be stepping stones in my artistic journey. Thanks once again, Kateri.
This really hit home for me. I've been feeling so uninspired lately with my own writing, and I was starting to think I'd lost my touch. But reading your post reminded me that these things come in waves, and that it's okay to have fallow periods. Thanks for sharing your experience – it's a good reminder that we're not alone in this.
Slow or dry periods will pass. I fill those spaces with other activities. Those may even inspire the muse to re-engage. Plus, I remind myself that "perfect is the enemy of good." Thanks for your inspiring messages.
Thank you, John. I love that saying, perfect is the enemy of good. One of my problems is that I have not had those spaces available to me lately. But this week I do! Happy about that. :)
I like to delve into my favorite books. They help to inspire me and make me feel that if I am not creating on a physical level at least I am learning something new or relearning something old. Everyday we are creating. For example, when we cook a new recipe or when we work in the garden. I am thrilled when I can share something new that I have learned with my family or friends. So I try to be forgiving with myself when I sit and stare at a blank sheet of paper or many of my paintings become bookmarks. It's all in the process of learning for me.
It should always be a process of learning, don't you? That makes happy to think about. Thank you so much, Mary Ann. xo
The need to get outside of myself becomes evident, but only after I unwittingly do so. If I sit and write, or chase after my inspiring ideas, through disciplined behavior…maintain a “just stick with-it” attitude, I fail. Yet, step outside of my comfort zone and I hit on new synapses!
You know, the go on vacation, attend a Cape Cod baseball game and listen to a Podcast in the car you didn’t pick out AND BAM! I’ve got things to get down on paper pronto. Including the recognition that I need to step out more often & am grateful for the New Moon and Kateri’s words.🕊️
I love that. I have found that to be true, also! For me, right now, I just have not had the time I'm used to having... you know. stretches of time. Hopefully one day again soon. :)
I go back to authors and artists who inspire me - grist for the mill as they say.
AND, I log into my favorite virtual world to build a story in 3D without words. The process not only rests my brain but gives me a way to visualize what I want to say with words. The serialized novel I am working on now was laid out first in 3D and I return to it regularly for inspiration.
OH yes... put my fingers into a book and see where I land. :) But now I need to know about virtual worlds creation. Tell me more, if you have time!
I began work in the virtual world of Second Life more than 15 years ago. There, I tackled all kinds of projects - virtual training for nurses, live concerts, prototyping warehouses and products, psychological training for U.S. Army recruits, support groups for vets with PTSD, brainstorming and building banks of the future, and my personal favorite - building a 3D space to educate the public about HIV/AIDS for the National Library of Medicine.
Out of that project came what I called, "The Uncle D Story Quest." It was my vision of how to help debunk stigmas and fears about AIDS while generating empathy for those living with the virus. Using/driving avatars, visitors could walk into Uncle D's home to interact with and experience his life. For example, they could read his journals, listen to his phone messages and music, play with his cat, and even visit his dreams.
I recently decided to use the basic story for a larger story I'm serializing on Substack called, "We Stand in the Middle." I use the 3D build (which is quite large and complex) for filming, photographs, and inspiration. I also take groups on tours through the build.
If you'd like to actually see what I mean when I talk about a 3D build, here is a link to a recent interview I did:
https://vimeo.com/channels/dworlds/931701653
If you'd like to read the story, here is a link to the latest chapter with links at the bottom for all previous chapters so you can catch up: https://open.substack.com/pub/whalesinmybackyard/p/lines-in-the-sand
Thank you for asking.
Holler if any of this doesn't make sense.
Jena
First I love the inspiring painting. Your words inspire and remind us of everything waxes and wanes.
🌒 🌘 🩵
I like to dive in to my papers, old work, new work, experiments, bits and pieces. Inspiration comes and goes but there is always something there to make me smile. I’m learning not to let it overwhelm me. 💕💕
Always a good tactic for sure! I do that with sketchbooks!
On occasion, I root through the bin under my art table where I throw all my “failures.” You know, colors that didn’t come out right, landscapes that went wrong, ink blobs and smeary abstracts, etc. I look at all that detritus with new eyes, cut them up, rearrange them and create a collage. When I read your essay, I began to understand why I was somehow called to make these collages. The bits in the bin can be stepping stones in my artistic journey. Thanks once again, Kateri.
This really hit home for me. I've been feeling so uninspired lately with my own writing, and I was starting to think I'd lost my touch. But reading your post reminded me that these things come in waves, and that it's okay to have fallow periods. Thanks for sharing your experience – it's a good reminder that we're not alone in this.