My Creative Process

My first blog posting was on January 18, 2009. In this debut post I mentioned I would , at a later date, give a little insight into my creative process. I stated "I have always had this energy within that calls me to create things with my hands. I feel a deeper sense of accomplishment and ownership of my handmade creations. It feels as if I have called something into being. The final product is a piece that I can proudly stand back and say "Yes! I did that. I made it happen".

That is the most honest statement I have ever made about the creative process within me. Creativity is not of me but a process by which I am called into creation. Each item I make be it a sewn, baked, written, drawn or photographed represents a piece of my being. A part of myself that needed to be released from my inner depths. My creativity keeps me honest, sane, challenged and even a bit afraid at times.

When I begin to fret or let my inner critic censor me then whatever attempted to come to the surface gets lost. I can feel it rumbling around within me, desperately seeking a way back to the surface. It becomes a sadness that feels me with longing. "Please come back to me" I call to it, "I promise to be here for you". Sometimes it returns.

I can't do artistic expression in a controlled environment. I thrive in the chaos of my creation space. The scattered papers and books, the bits of fabric and stray pieces of thread, the dust of flour and splatter of batter, the digital camera photos waiting patiently to downloaded and then called to life in new form, each of these represent the phantoms that hoover, float and glide through me. Each one patiently awaiting my attention. Each one eagerly guides me when I relax and listen. When I am in the mood to sew. I sew. When I am in the mood to write. I write. When I am in the mood to bake. I bake. I don't argue with it anymore. I don't tell myself this is not the time or place. I don't insult my creativity with practicality. Creativity is not practical. That is not its role. It is sacred space.

When the completed creation presents itself before me, I can't help but marvel at it. I am grateful for the beauty of its being.