Do you enjoy seeing the intimate wanderings of a creative? I know I do. It is such a juicy experience to see what artists dream up and where they take their ideas. This reminds me of a wonderful experience I had at an Edgar Degas exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art in 2018.
As I was walking through the rooms in awe of Degas genius, I came upon a digital experience that was offered to view his sketchbooks. I swiped the screen and was taken aback by a sketch of a "person" in the sketchbook. It looked like an attempt to draw a bust of a person that turned alien. I flipped more and found a beautiful mixture of "bad" drawings and well-developed studies. This highly regarded artist had sketchbooks that looked just like every other artist!
Why did this experience matter so much? Because I have spent years embarrassed by my creative practice. So much so that I have stripped my process to nothing in order to avoid feeling like a failure. Seeing my sketchbook filled with "bad" drawings fed into my story of being a failure. If I can't even turn out perfect sketches, how can I even be an artist? But to see a master working through his process and the mix of "good" and "bad" drawings, that right there opened my mind. Suddenly I saw myself in the company of another creative. Not in the sense that I would even compare myself to a master like Degas, but that I was a creative human, looking at the sketchbook of another creative human and we both had ideas worth chasing and ones worth moving on from.
Fast forward to this summer and I am finally starting to embrace my process while also feeling called to share what I come up with. I am embracing a daily practice of making marks in my drawing books and learn to see them as the journey while not seeking perfection. The most exciting new practice I added to my creative process is writing down what I learn as I create and the ideas that visit me when I am in the creative headspace. Folks, I feel like I struck a well of never-ending liquid gold.
I am in the midst of creating new and exciting work, layered with the story of the process, filled with delicate details and beautiful supplies. I am excited to add in some layers of more blogging and sharing more with you as I make this next collection. Which leads me to my share for the day:
There is a new collection of work underway! And I will be bringing it to you right here on my website! As of right now, I don't have a date set, but I do have lots to show you in the meantime.
Thanks for reading and for all the love and encouragement shared thus far. I enjoy every bit of this journey.
Best,
