My friend Annie Singer came over on Friday. If you don't know Annie, she's an amazing Minneapolis jeweler who works with found objects and unusual materials to make very unique pieces. Pictured is her Frieda Necklace--an upcycled jewelry masterpiece!
Annie and I have lots in common, but one of my favorite things about her is that she's one of those "raven people". You know, people who find something on the street or at a junk store, bring it back to their nest, and place it in a beautiful display box along with the other thousand of that same type of special thing. Keys, shells, watch parts, beach glass, vintage buttons, etc. It's like "artful recycling" or "purposeful trash collecting"...
Anyway, Annie came over to check out my Dremel tool. She's in the market for one, so I told her to bring stuff to drill and she could try mine. Of course when she got here we realized my bits are all totally shot--not even sharp enough to drill metal. Ugh. But then I pulled out a bunch of plastic farm animals I'd found at the Target Dollar Spot. Annie was telling me about an e-i-e-i-o necklace she'd been wanting to make, so she seemed pretty happy as she turned pigs, chicks, and cows into beads. Thank you, Target, for saving the day.
It was great to spend time at the workbench, just chit-chatting away. We talked about growing up and raising kids and travel. We also had a really compelling conversation about how easy it is for artists to become self-defeating. This rings so true, not only for me but for so many creative people I know. I think being true to your creative self is one of the most difficult things to do. We often do what we think we "should" be doing--whether it's our job, our art, our lifestyle--when in fact those things may be working against our creative nature and dreams. The conversation definitely left me ponderous...
I'd be curious to know what you think about the subject. What real or imagined obstacles do you have in your life that make it difficult to foster your true creative self?
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6 comments:
Great post today~
I think there are many layers of what artists go through.
I have always lived with family or friends who did not see my passion for art or creativity and in low times or financially thin times repeated the mantra of "Pam, get a real job and this won’t happen; besides this art stuff won’t ever pay the bills".
This type of influence led to self doubt.
But I listened to my heart and realized it is all about doing things for other people.
To make a tiny difference in someone’s life in a positive way was all the positive motivation I needed.
I live by that. If I am ever in doubt, I listen to my heart. It says, what you do now, will bring a smile or a sense of accomplishment to someone.
That makes it worth it.
(Phew, sorry that was long...)
The thing that strikes me is that when you do what you truly love--no matter what your talent is--all the other stuff (financial security, confidence, happiness, etc.) will naturally follow. It's so simple. At least on paper...
Firstly, I love mutilating plastic animals for jewelry and art purposes. One day I will share my little mutant plastic toy wonders with the world.
Secondly, I've been all over the spectrum of art and the market. At one point I was sipping fancy cocktails in the Hamptons with famous designers and models. Sure it sounds nice (and I did like the beach there), but it was a completely vacant existence. Even though I was selling paintings for big bucks, I felt hollowed out.
And I've also been in the starving artist camp. The worst thing about this state is the stressful counting and measuring and rationing of everything. Every little thing becomes super important and not in a good way.
I think what I've learned from all this is that you have to be true to yourself. When you're true to yourself, things fall into place and success is bountiful. It might not be easy, but at least the doors will open.
The other thing I've learned is to be your own cheerleader and be the cheerleader of others as much as you can. They'll keep you going when you feel bleak. You'll keep them going when they feel terrible. And thusly, a support system is born. I think that's fundamental for success.
Andrew-- I adore the vision of you sipping cocktails in the Hamptons with designers and models! My version of it is looking ornamental at Bel-Air fundraisers with B-list Hollywood types...
I'm glad I have those L.A. stories so I can pull them out of my hat like I just did, but I think you're right: Being true to yourself (I'm not so good at being an "ornament", for example) and finding balance and love and support are so much healthier for our creativity...
Very interesting post, Jean. I have been struggling lately, trying to juggle taking care of my fifteen month old with working on beading projects and at the same time trying to keep the house from looking like a bomb went off 24/7. It always feels as though there is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done!
Before I had my son, I delighted in creating intricate time-consuming pieces of beadwork. Not anymore, now that I'm running around after a little toddler! So these days, I'm focusing more on pieces that can be created from components - I can make one component while he's taking a nap, and then assemble them all together on the weekend when my husband is home and can watch the baby for an hour or two!
I also have to try to squeeze in time to blog, create items for sale on my Etsy and Artfire shops, take photos of my work, work with my business counselor, and on top of all that, I'm also taking a four month course of one-on-one color studies with Margie Deeb! Does anyone else out there think I bit off more than I can chew?
Thankfully, I have an extremely supportive husband and family. My sister is a writer and works part-time as an English professor. My Dad runs his own computer consulting business. My Mom was a crochet/knit designer/historian and an incredible nature photographer. And my father-in-law owned a hardware store for 30 years. So I am surrounded by people who make their living either working as artists or working for themselves, and they can relate to the things that I go through on a daily basis as a self-representing artist!
It's interesting that you mention working with components, Jennifer--I realized just this minute that I've been doing that for the last 10 years, too! Before my beadwork was all about multi-layered kinetic sculptures. Now it's all about repetitive pieces I can do at gymnastics or hockey or the orthodontist, then stitch together when I have time! Both are certainly valid, I think. Just different. We creatively adapt to our surroundings!
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