Thursday, January 15, 2009

12 secrets

I’m toying around with the idea of following along with this. (That’s me, noncommittal. It’s really self preservation. If I bail on one more thing I’ve committed myself to, I will have to be committed, literally.) It’s a communal diving into the book:

The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor by Gail McMeekin

“an inspirational guidebook that offers twelve practices that will increase your creative success and help you to achieve your goals…” (from the blog) I have my cheesy detector up and operational, as this might be a bit hokey for me. But, I also recognize the potential of going through a book like this (if it’s good) within a community of bloggers / creative folks. See, the whole point of the website is to do, think about, write about, and read others’ experiences with the 12 practices.

The concept behind a book-blogging group is that a community of bloggers work their way through a book together, sharing their experiences by posting on their own blog and by reading what other participants are sharing.

Per the instructions, I’ve found myself asking where are you on the journey to your creative self ever.

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Lately, just in the last few days, I’ve found my confidence shaken. It comes from looking at art that is far greater than mine. I mean I do get inspired from that experience, more so than anything else. But, I think when I feel like I’m hitting a wall.. getting stuck in a rut… it starts to make me feel paranoid that this is it. Nothing new will ever occur to me. Nothing will ever take hold of me and flow through me into a work that surprises me with delight.

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Doubt, I guess, abounds. It is the ebb of the ebb and flow for all creative types, so mystical that otherwise logical beings begin to ramble on about jinxes and imagined vanishings of this thing called talent. We brace ourselves, remind ourselves that it comes around and around and around, like the rhythm of waves, like tides pulled and released by the moon’s gravity. But, it’s always, at least a bit, scary. Maybe it wouldn’t work if it weren’t. Maybe a forest fire doesn’t renew the forest as well if it doesn’t run wild.

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I really don’t know where I am in my “journey to my creative self”. I’m in it though. That much I do know. And that’s more than what I had 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the journey itself is just really amazing.

4 comments:

lisa said...

hooray! jump in.

Kristin Zecchinelli said...

i knew you were quiet lately. we all hit walls. your creativity is too much a part of who and what you are for it ever to be gone.

Anonymous said...

you have so well articulated my own confidence as of late. brilliantly put. your work is beautiful, as are your words.

risa said...

I hope you do continue to follow this journey with the rest of us "twelve secret bloggers". Wonderful post. I look forward to reading more.