Last week in a weekly email to one of our Journey to the Golden Fleece Groups, I wrote about being stuck. I wrote about that to that group because many of them are approaching making their final project in the course. It’s a time that lends itself to being stuck. Ask me how I know?
I’m sort of one of them…as I wrote to them, I had made a project with the yarns I created as we were writing the course but didn’t like it. It sat around for awhile and then in the fall, I ripped it all out. After a couple of months, inspiration hit and I got going again. Then, I ran into another stumbling block and now it’s sitting again. All of this led me to explain that I’m not stuck…I’m resting.
Then this morning in our Facebook group, one of the folks that started the course this fall posted about being stuck with a capital “S” and a couple of other people chimed in that they were also having trouble. I was going to write a post about something else this week, but it seemed like an opportune time to do a post about staying relaxed when you feel less than inspired.
If you are a member in the Journey to the Golden Fleece course, you have access to our bag of tricks to help get unstuck. They are great resources, but sometimes what you need is just to relax and rest. I made a comment to that effect this morning in the Facebook thread and one of the course participants, Deb Potts, made this wonderful observation: “the creative process is most likely cyclical…..round, like our looms, like the stars in orbit around the sun, like the seasons.” I loved her insight, but I loved what happened next even more. Deb shared a poem she had written on the subject some time ago and gave me her permission to include it here:
WORLDS & EGGS & CELLS
All these spheres abound.
Stars and wheels go round
while making not a sound.
In the circle, God is found,
Whose circumference knows no bounds
and in the center of God lies
You and I.
Spinning through our lives
While the force of nature thrives,
Eternity survives
In eggs and worlds and I.
— Deb Potts
Thank you, Deb! Your poem is really lovely and lends a special perspective to the subject of stuck-ness/resting. Here are some more projects that are “resting” in my studio:
I will admit that I wasn’t even aware that I was “resting” on this many things! Everything I’ve shown will be finished over the next couple of months. That’s not tremendously fast, I know, but my creative life is the only part of my life where I don’t have a timetable, schedule or a deadline. This is where I can drift, muse and ponder. Allowing myself space and time allows means that I’m also allowing myself to play, audition, try ideas and that is the joy of creativity for me.
Until next time, Arlene
Thank you, Arlene, for the honor of being mentioned and even more so, for valuing a poem that I wrote. It feels good to know, that even though my creative juices are at either a low point or maybe even a turning point, I have created something (a poem) which someone appreciated enough too build on and want to share. Your words have given me the ability to let myself rest and have faith that I am not lacking, but perhaps feeling growing pains instead.
I think of great artists when I get stuck.
They took years to finish a project.
If I don’t love what I’m doing, I don’t do it.
The pleasure , joy and comfort I receive from working with fiber is my reward.
And sometimes, I have to walk away. Put it down and walk away.
If I’m not having fun, it will reflect in my hands work.
Right on Arlene! Trying to make so many quick projects at holiday time stifles creativity. It is January and time to reassess and enjoy instead if trying to rush the creative process . This weekend was inspiring because my friend Pam suggested a fun project that we could do together! It was fun and quick and maybe we could make these thru the year as fillers and not be so rushed and stifled next December! My busy time deadline for tax work hits now . I plan to give myself permission to rest some projects, reorganize my fiber stash and dream about finishing up or creating some new yarns. Thanks for the poem and being in tune with the needs we all have in common!!!