Creativity, the accidental habit.
I was waiting for a coffee date to show up; she wasn’t really a “date” just a friend, and I was writing in a binder I have. Sometimes I write for my blog and discover that the essay subject isn’t really a good fit. She was running a little late and when she got there, she waited for me to finish my thought and close my book. “I was just journaling.” I mentioned, and we got down to our visit. a little later I thought about the interaction and realized that writing had become part of my creative addiction.
In 2018, I really began to focus on how I wanted to commit my time as an artist. I had started the Artreprenuer Program through Idaho and was learning a lot of new and relevant information about the art business. Being raised by an artist who started her career in the 80’s didn’t really prepare me for the current market and I was eager to learn. I started paying attention to when I was in the studio and how many hours I put into my time there. I also landed my residency at the Spokane Art School so I was very motivated. Time has gone on and since then we have had COVID and 3 moves, which led me to going back to analyzing my time again. I sat down a few days ago and looked at my schedule to see when I should be putting in studio time. That is why, when I found myself journal/blogging; I started to recognize a new pattern.
Because I have been blogging once a week since the residency in 2018; I pay attention to ideas for new blogs and put them into my notes on my phone. If I know that I am going to have a few minutes to wait, I will start writing. I don’t like writing on my phone and I loath hauling around my laptop so I carry notebooks everywhere I go. I like writing in longhand, it soothes me in some visceral place that typing doesn’t. Now, if I have a sudden driving need to put down a thought at home; I will open the computer. Most of the time, I like to write in the book which, I will transfer those handwritten essays onto the laptop.
I didn’t understand that writing had become a habit. There are things that I have written that I share like blogs, things that I share with a few friends, things that I won’t share with anyone and things that just don’t make sense when I go back later. It doesn’t matter, it is the act of writing that is important. Students will sometimes ask me about the art that I create, do I like everything I do? It isn’t a question that comes up often because they are afraid of the answer. Truth; Nobody likes everything they do. If they say it, they are lying to themselves and you. I actually need to have a symbolic burn one of these days of the work that is crap. Most of the time I just throw it away when I hate it. The point is this; Maybe you are an artist when your creativity has become an accidental habit.
An artist is a constant creative. Notice that statement has nothing to do with selling? That is right, no monetary mention at all. Someone who can’t help but create something all the time. So to all of my friends, students, peers, colleagues, mentors, roll models; if you are still creating, you are still an artist. That is right; Lucy, Joni, Chris, Rene’, Nikki….. you know who you are; Holly, Chan, Mel, Chuck, Darrel, Don, Rena, Hayla, Gabe… RRAFA; you are all artists. Keep it up, you owe no one an explanation.