Making art versus writing about creativity

As I review the year, I realize how little art I made. That is because this year was dedicated to another kind of creativity – writing.

Valentine's card for my husband -- clearly influenced by the classes I've taken with Lesley Riley

My 2008 art goals were to do a generational quilt and another large scale “house” quilt. I also had the goal to fill up art journals with “inner art.”

A page from my art journal -- "Emergence"

In June I wrote,
I Want To …
- Fill up art journals
- use up my art supplies
- create daily
- doodle
- let my inner child play
- locate the inner create source and Immerse

Getting at that inner source of strength

In July, I questioned “Why Am I Not ‘Arting’?” My responses:

I have nothing to “say”
No. I want to create a generational story quilt.
No. I want to create a quilt that depicts an art colony.
No. I want to fill up art journals.

I have no more wall space
No. I can always rotate art on the wall.
No. There is always room for an art book.
No. There is room for my art on other people’s walls.

Writing is my creativity now.
Yes. Writing is creative. I do feel creative now.
No. Writing is one expression. It doesn’t need to be the only expression.
No. writing about the creative process is not the same as living the creative process.
Yes. However, I am living the creative process through writing the book – the entire process with ups and downs, delights and despairs. Writing as a form of arting takes me into and through all the good and bad as does making visual art.

I fear submitting my art.
Yes. Now, you’re getting real. If you make more art, you’ll need to find an outlet.
Yes. It is time to take your art “seriously” especially is you are going to coach artists!
But I’m not going to coach artists – I’m going to coach business people on creativity.
Yes, however let’s say they decide to do your creative explorations – at some point they surface and share the treasure!

I don’t have time.
Yes. True, you’ve been busy writing.
No. You have SIX WEEKS when you return [from this trip] – plenty of time to pick up an art project and work on it. Even if you get it to a good point where a once-a-week art day will move it forward …
No. There are unfinished projects that will take little time to complete. One small step – create labels for finished work. Another small step – photo work and blog it. Another small step – ask Odile for her photographer’s name and make an appointment.

I enjoyed working with scraps and hand beading

In July, I committed to a week of “completion” saying, “That would actually feel great!” Responding to a coaching course lesson, I wrote, “I seem to experience creating as either writing or ‘arting.’ As a result, five weeks have passed with lots of writing and no arting. I’ve made no progress with completing UFOs. The most important change [I need to make] is to incorporate both – either both into each day or days dedicated to one. I’m not sure which will feel comfortable. But I am setting a goal to dedicate one of my remaining weeks to completing major pieces that have been sitting unfinished for a long time. That week I’ll combine writing and arting into each day, still saving important play time – important to remind me this is summer break.” My goals for the remainder of summer were to 1) complete UFOs, 2) do a series of “fragments” pieces, 3) postcard size house series, generational quilt.

This is a major completion ... I'd planned to submit this but chickened out. Maybe in 2009?

On August 6th, one of my “to do” items was “Begin to organize art supplies.”

Throughout the year I was writing a manuscript on the Creative Leader. I stopped writing that in September. And started a blog dedicated to coaching the creative process. Meanwhile, there was no time to make art.

This was influenced by the classes I've taken with Odile Nicolette. It is one of my favorite for 2008.

You get the picture.

This was done right around the election -- a time of renewed hope

Early in December, I pulled out some painted lutradur and fabrics and made the three pieces for my family. That led to the book tags for my book group, and journals. Then I put up a piece of timtex on my “design wall” and sketched shapes and a design. Then I did the small wonky village piece. Yesterday I ironed all my remaining fusing stuff to fabrics for this piece I’ll start today. I’m ending the year feeling good to be “back in the art saddle.”