Devastation, grief, sorrow, hurt, fear all powerful emotions that can lead to incredible creativity if we as artist allow them to lead us to the deep, dark corners of who we are. Embracing the depths of these emotions can lead us to incredible light at the most unexpected times.
Today do not run from your deep dark powerful emotions, embrace them and embrace a surprising new creativity.

When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. (Alexander Graham Bell)

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

Wishing to start over is unrealistic, we can’t wipe out what has occurred and do it all again, just think of the repercussion on life if we could it would not be good.  We can however make a new beginning, we take what was learn from it and then leave it all behind if we choose.  Yes you can remake who you are whether you want to remake the artist you are or the person you are!!!

As an artist it can be as big as saying I want to now do this medium instead of the one I have done in the past or as small as changing subject matter.  As a person it can be as big as saying I want to be a compassionate and caring person instead of the self centered and brash person I was or as small as changing jobs.

While much in life is out of our control, who we choose to be is not.  You are who you choose yourself to be.

Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation. (Jean Arp)

While I like my technology I am protective of the silence in my life.  Silence is where I find new elements of my creativity and myself and I could not survive without it.

Cherish the sound of silence.

The miracle, or the power, that elevates the few is to be found in their industry, application, and perseverance under the prompting of a brave, determined spirit. (Mark Twain)

How do you react when you fail, whether it be the end result of a creation or in everyday life?  Do you get angry, do you blame others, do you hide your head in the sand?  Failing is a daily part of life but it is only truly failure if you stay down and let it consume you.

The best way to handle failing is first accept it is a normal daily part of life, no one and I mean no one goes through a life (and the majority of days) without failing at something, but because of the way they handle it the appearance is that they never fail.  Second react correctly getting angry at yourself is ok if it is reasonable (where there really things you could have done better or was it that someone was just better than you) and you use it as a tool to motivate self improvement not self destruction.  It is never the correct reaction to blame someone else for you failing and it is never ok to ignore it, hide from it and pretend it never happened.

Brush it off and use your failing as a springboard to improve or head in a new direction.  Don’t let it effect you negatively and pull you in to being stagnant and unproductive.

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. (Helen Keller)

You need to create pathways in your consciousness through which the creative forces operate. Julia Cameron

The artist does not see both eyes alike. There is always “the eye” and the other eye… It adds life and plasticity to the drawing if the eye in the light is darker than the one in the shadow. It gives the head vividness. – John Sloan

Human nature presents us with a battle between uniqueness and originality on one hand and community and “fitting in” on the other.  As artist/creatives we fight this battle each time we produce a work, even if it is only subconsciously because we have vowed our loyalty to one side or the other.

This focus isn’t about the argument of is there anything new under the sun that is for another day.  Today thing about is your work coming from a place of its unique, done my way and I am not interested in who likes it or not or is it coming from a place of I want people to like it, understand it and want to own it.  The real question is are you creating for your satisfaction or for the satisfaction of others?

I will leave you with a wonderful quote from John Sloan as you ponder the question above.

“Though a living cannot be made at art, art makes life worth living.  It makes living, living.  It makes starving, living.  It makes worry, it makes trouble, it makes a life that would be barren of everything–living.  It brings life to life.”