In the creative life, sometimes you have to set sail with or without a map. Just get started! Chances are, if you DID have a map, or a ‘plan,’ you’ll end up throwing it away anyhow.
So you’re Columbus, setting sail for your best idea ever; your India. And you may hit the Americas. Also awesome. At least you were sailing, right? India is still a brilliant idea, but in the creative life, ideas are famously known to cut in line, cater to your desires, or even BAM! Completely change. They USE you to become what THEY wanted to become all along. They allow you to present ‘India’ to the King and Queen of Spain, acquire all your funding, then become the Americas instead! And leave you to do the explaining.
In the art world, there is a moment spoken of in hushed whispers. Hushed because God forbid it should evade us. It’s a famous, revered, and respected moment, the moment the art takes on it’s ‘personality’, it’s ‘spirit’, it’s ‘life’; all artists have their own term for it. It’s an incredible moment. The forcing, pushing, problem solving suddenly fades away and you and the art are co-creating. The conference table I’m making now was a simple idea in the beginning. An eco Koa table made of slash scrap in the shape of Molokai. I could have left it at that. But when the idea began to swim around in my brain and come into existence stick by stick…. That table is a whole other table now. The top of the table is now carved with the topography of the island INCLUDING the fishponds (which relates to the company it’s for), resin topped for smoothness, with carved koa feet depicting the ocean floor and the birth of the island. It also comes apart in three pieces and fits back together for large meetings. Makes the original idea seem horribly boring, right?! I was just going for an eco koa conference table. This thing took on a mind of it’s own and found a willing artist slave to do it’s bidding. I’ve never been so happy to be used in my whole life. 😉
So set sail!
Get USED!
Let me know how it goes.
Your friend in art,
KK