My Creative Output Will End
Beth Robinson
4 Comments
And that's actually rather freeing.
I can only complete so many creative projects in my lifetime, whether I spend much time on them or little.
There may be more or better projects if I spend much time, but I can't know for sure, and they will still be only a limited fraction of the ideas I have had and the things I would like to have tried. It sucks, but it's life. And realizing it makes it easier for me to be at peace with the little amount of time I currently have available.
The idea came from my rewording of a statement by Dan Goodwin in his article at Creativity Portal called One Full Flavor. His emphasis was on how the concept can be used to bypass the too many options part of creator's block, resulting in multiple completed projects instead of dithering and still wondering where to begin.
I've been having similar problems with too many choices, but because I've been feeling time and space constraints, not because I've been feeling blocked. I used to be able to spread out all over the room and just create what I wanted and know that if it didn't work, then no big deal, because there was always more time.
Now I have to get in the habit of putting things away for when Alanna is mobile. Her care takes much of the evening and after her bedtime there are online classes and dishes and spending time with my husband. If I want to get anything done I need to make choices and if it's messy then I need to actually schedule time for it.
Somehow it makes it better to know that, in the long run, I was always going to have to choose.
What project do I most want to do right now? I want to do more of the exercises in Keys to Drawing with Imagination. It stretches me and I can easily slip them in. I've also just signed up for a butterfly wing themed atc swap, so I'll need to decide how I want to pursue the theme this time. I'm leaning towards acrylics. I haven't pulled those out in a while and want to do some color studies.
Does knowing that you will only ever complete so many projects change your view of what to do next?
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Reader Comments (4)
Very different situation from yours, but I've been there, too, with four little boys 50 years ago.
It is hard to set aside your need to make art during this time in your life, as your daughter, your husband, your career, and your home take up so much of your time. But it really is a very short time, in a full life, that you will have all these responsibilities vying for your time.
Since you mentioned doing experiments with acrylics, I think the title of your post is misleading. Your creative output will not end. What's more, raising your daughter will give you ever greater opportunities for creativity--as a mother. Raising a child is an art, too.
Wishing you joy.
I didn't mean to say that my creative output will end NOW. Just that it will end SOMEDAY and that realization is actually a good one.
I have a page of doodles and the outlay for a new project to post on the blog when I get a few more minutes. I tried to make the point that I just had to be more careful of my choices, but guess I could have expressed myself better.
Thanks again.
The idea came from a client of mine who said she was terrified of dying without having ticked everything off her "to-do list". I realised that many creative people have a similar fear, even though if we can be objective about it for a moment it's quite clear that none of us will ever create everything we want, new ideas and possibilities appear every moment! So, we may has well give our best efforts and full attention to those creative projects we do choose to embark upon...
Dan