Reflections On Creativity In Another Impossible Year

I’ve definitely lost track of my paintings this year. Hundreds, for sure, maybe six or seven. It would be so nice to be able to pinpoint how this creativity came to me. Honestly my primary thoughts on how I’ve been able to encourage this was just spending the summer with my hind end firmly in the studio. I had some free time after spring classes and managed to steep in enough inspirational music and imagery that my brain could concoct something new.

I had one cradled panel I’d cobbled together and challenged myself to three colors, plus black, white, and gold if I wanted them. I chose a prussian blue, a crimson red, and a yellow ochre. I tried some texture paste, a little palette knife exploration, a few enthusiastic drips, and tada! My first tree, this magic dripping thing I didn’t know I had in me. So I made a few more.

Then a few more, and a few more until I had a whole wall of trees and I was ecstatic because for the first time in a long time I felt like I had figured out how to paint the exact kind of work I wanted to hang in my own house. My own favorite flavor of art, and I just kept flowing.

Eventually I outgrew the studio drying wall and had to start taking down other art I’d collected over the years, just to have a place for these to dry.

Eventually I wore out the trees in my imagination and started adding critters that might live in the forest.

I was having the most amazing time painting these. I think one day I made a dozen paintings and just felt more energized for it, not less.

Sometime in July I had a post that got a delightful amount of attention and all of a sudden half my wall was empty. I’m not going to lie, that was a huge inspiration to make more art. And I had a place to put things!

There was a week I refer to as the Rain of Toads, because one little frog painting was popular enough to have about fifteen commissioned with a similar look. I will admit.. I got a little bored of toads. All of a sudden, I was less inspired, and my art, very briefly, and through no fault of anyone.. I was tired of painting.

So I started learning about balance, because while I LOVED painting those frogs, I definitely got a bit burned out. Business was really taking off, my sweet husband made me a spreadsheet to keep track of things instead of my stack of sticky notes, and thank goodness, because it’s been SO nice. If you’re interested in a blank of the spreadsheet, shoot me a note and I’ll see if he can make a copy.

Since then I have tried listening a little closer to my inspiration, sticking to music that encourages me and taking BREAKS. I can’t stress that enough. Taking time to rest, walk, go explore, have a road trip, eat something good or good for me, DRINK WATER, enjoy the coffee while it’s hot, stretch. All these things went by the wayside, and during an already stressful year, this was nearly detrimental.

School started back and my inspiration dried up. My enthusiasm to create when campus was such a shitshow stole all my energy and spoons. I found myself paying games on my phone again, a sure time suck. I slept badly, stressed over miniscule things and giant things and everything in between.

Then one day, out of nowhere, came the lanterns.

And they just kept coming. All that light and texture and emotion, just pouring out and piling up.

It definitely prompted me to go exploring. Tea in a swamp for instance?

Enjoying dabbling in 3D elements and even mixier mixed media.

Coming into a new year, looking out at the first snow here of the season, I’m trying to focus on the months and years of inspiration to come, wondering where this path will head next, and who will join me on it. <3