It is very difficult to squash the creative bug once it has been loosed; set free. Three months and sixteen days since the fires of the kiln went cold and the shelves bare. The fingers are becoming twitchy and the mind races at a breakneck speed. The little monster, spreading disquiet, begins to creep along the perimeter of contemplation. The uncomfortable sensation of creativity scratching and clawing to escape, to be free brings restlessness and anxiety.
The cure is undoubtedly allowing that creativity to flow through the fingertips and into the medium. When the clay is packed and creative space is limited, the time for a new discovery has come. The purchase of a Surface Tablet and the download of Krita has started the journey into the graphic art world. It has satisfied the itch in the fingers and quieted the clamoring of ideas begging for escape. Doodles of fish, snails, mushrooms, and mountain designs destined for ceramic mugs and platters, are finding their way onto vinyl stickers and landing in the Fire Creek Market soon. Udemy has also become a tool to keep the creative itch at bay.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”.
Arthur Ashe
Three months and sixteen days is a long time for the kilns to be dark, longer than the intended timeline. Sometimes, things are beyond control. Relinquish control. Plans made, adjust the plan. One can decide how hard to take the bumps in life; are they craters that derail the plan and send one into a downward, uncontrolled freefall? Or does one look for another door, a different avenue that can lead to some very exciting adventures and a fresh skill? Is there really a choice? Fire Creek studio is still dark and quiet. But I am still here. There will be no grass growing under these feet.
~ Thank you for reading, Dana