What’s my creative ‘THING’ to do? What’s the ‘THING’ I keep returning to time & again because it’s truthfully my ‘THING’ to do creatively? It’s a question that should be easy to answer right? Yet it’s taken me since my last post to figure it out (3 weeks!!).
It mattered to have clarity on it because otherwise I’m like a child in a sweet shop – distracted by all the visual delights (aka so many imaginary ideas that look good in my head!) that I end up making no progress at all on ACTUAL creative work. Truth is, if I’m honest, it’s a personal stalling tactic – keeping me ‘safe’ from all the unknown zones involved once I do start, all the figuring out of unexpected things I never see coming! It’s bonkers & fun when everything works out, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out, & I can feel like I’m grieving for something I’ve lost! Sigh. I love being creative, but the process can become a frustrating thing to collaborate with – a bit like a relationship – which can take a lot of energy to remain committed to!
Which reminds me, to commit myself fully to my creative work for ‘Maggie’s Garden’ exhibition in November, I want a focus I can stick to & be energized by – something that focuses me on what ‘my THING’ is (insert O .M.G. ‘What is ‘my THING?’)
It should have been obvious, but I was too blind to see it, too close to it to recognize it! I spread out ALL my creative art work around me & sat among it, & slowly I began to see the ONE thing that linked it all. COLLAGE. Simple cut & paste, rearranging, organizing, layering, & creating something more ‘me’!
And it was at this moment that I also realized why I had avoided it. It’s not always viewed kindly, this ‘craft’ called Collage – I mean, let’s be honest – it isn’t valued like painting is! Seems this was a major reason why I avoided ‘seeing’ what my ‘THING’ was. Sigh. Note to self – ignore how some others view it, it doesn’t matter – to me anyway. COLLAGE is MY THING, & it’s where I am most content – playing about with cut out paper, happy as a pig in mud :o)
Actually – it isn’t just cutting out paper- it can be folding paper, or ripping! I usually use magazine pages, or my own photographs, but I also like to create my own papers to cut out too – painted papers of colours & textures that I want – mostly to create patterns – or I like to collage something for inspiration. And when a collage I make sucks – I cut it up & make something else from it!
Maybe I could print some Maggie’s Garden photographs onto A4 paper…BINGO !
Vicky xxx
