“When the creative impulse sweeps over you, grab it. You grab it and honor it and use it, because momentum is a rare gift.” Justina Chen
My son's back at school this week (thankfully fully healed) and things are slowly returning to the normal way they were before his surgery. For the first time in several weeks I've had a few hours here and there to return to work.
In the quiet mornings I find myself sitting at my desk. I feel a little lost with everyone back to work and school. The creative momentum I've used to sustain me for so long seems just out of reach.
But I've been here before. As most other things in life creativity seem to have a natural ebb and flow. But this time feels different.
I lean back in my chair and place my cup of herbal tea in front of me. Steam curls from the rim of my mug. Sunlight pours in through the window. Clay rests near my fingertips. Sculpting tools fill a glass jar to the left, their metal tips glinting in the light. A nearly filled sketchbook sits at my right. But none of it tempts me to create.
Out of habit more than anything else, I pick the sketchbook up and rifle through the pages until I land on an empty one. I choose my favorite sketching tool, a sepia Prismacolor, and start to draw. The pencil feels comfortable and familiar in my hand. It whispers against the paper, the sound soothing, mellow and contemplative.
And slowly. . . I start to feel the creative momentum returning.
I work on the realistic bust for hours. Smoothing facial planes, sculpting angles and gentle contours. The tea has grown cold but I lift it to my lips anyways, and glance at the colored clay I've mixed and kneaded but haven't used for several days.
I pick it up, and start to mold it into shape. A pony starts to emerge. Chubby little body, dishy face, and wide, dark eyes that seem to look right back at me. I sculpt a heart shape on her rump. And a name comes to mind. Aphrodite. The little love pony. That's her name. She's adorable, and I am so happy with her. I've suddenly forgotten how uninspired I felt just a few hours ago. :)
Aphrodite #14/365
Through all the years I've been an artist it sometimes still takes me by surprise to realize that inspiration usually finds us while we're working. Not while we're sitting here not working and waiting for inspiration to hit us in the face.
Duh. ;)
Love,
Crystal, Aphrodite, and the rest of the Tumble family
Sale update: I will be having a small sale in my Etsy shop Tuesday at 4 PM MST (that's 6 PM EST)
Listening to: Lincoln Durham
Watching: Psych
Reading: The War of Art
Snacking on: chocolate covered fruit
drinking: peppermint hot chocolate
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