Fear of Creating

Last year and this year I decided to do a word of the year and paint the word so I can see it all the time. This year I started with a 4x6 canvas, which was waaaay to small for this idea. I scanned the room I was working in and saw that there was a nice piece of cardboard perfect for this idea.

Without hesitating I dropped the canvas and brought the cardboard to the table. I couldn't remember the last time I painted on cardboard nor stopped to think about what issues there could be working on it. I only knew I was ready to start the process and trusted in the impulse.

This year I chose the word "create" and decided to do something outside my comfort zone. Instead of doing calligraphy, which I know how to do, I decided I would make each letter represent different ways the creative process feels to me.

• C: balloon-like because when an idea first strikes or when you're in a creative flow everything feels fun, bright, and the process is light and easy. I used super shiny paint, sorry for the glare.
• R: a tower room because being creative can be a steep climb up spinning steps but normally once you get to the top and rest a bit the ideas flow out.
• E: embroidered since being creative takes time and planning each thread carefully.
• A: a lucky horseshoe and an iron stake because you need both luck and fortitude to create.
• T: the sword and the stone because sometimes ideas are stuck or buried and hard to pry out, but with perseverance, the sword can be yours.
• E: a sulky Yeti because the Muses can freeze us out and pout for a bit making it difficult to create, but that too is part of the process.

I learned a few things while creating this:

• When I get an idea I want to rush in and create.
• I dislike stopping and planning what I'm going to do. I just want to slap paint on and go. Yet that same tendency leads me to abandon the project because I had no solid plan and I can't see what I want to have in the end.
• I am hesitant to create something because I know that there are others who can do it better than me so I drag my feet or defer to them. In this case, my insanely talented husband.
• To channel my creative side, I decided to focus on creating my own art without judgment or relying on my husband to do it for me.
• Yet I'm not stupid enough not to understand how to leverage other's knowledge so I did ask his opinion on a few things and asked him to assist on a small part.

Where do you get stuck in creating something new? Are there tricks you use to help yourself get over those issues?

Hugs,

Melissa Borg