Sunday 3 March 2013

art

If you are reliably there, it begins to show itself - soon it begins to arrive when you do. But if you are only there sometimes and are frequently late or inattentive, it will appear fleetingly, or it will not appear at all. Why should it? It can wait. It can stay silent a lifetime. Who knows anyway what it is, the wild, silky part of ourselves without which no poem can live? 
- Mary Oliver on inspiration & creativity

In my brief & humble experience so far, I've found that being an artist full-time means a couple of things for me:  a) I'm working constantly, all the time. I go for a walk and I see things that become ideas for projects. A random conversation becomes fodder for a new piece. I can't really turn it off. b) the actual inspiration, a.k.a. the fuel to create a physical piece, comes in great spurts and waves and can only be summoned by showing up regularly to the studio and leaving a few 'crumbs' around, like bits of things that are interesting to me and may lead somewhere.

This is what happens when I 'show up' and get to work.
my work table, march - monica lacey 2013
See Juliana's photo here & Minka's here.

2 comments:

  1. This post couldn't be more appropriate for me today. Thank you for the reminder to show up. 'Some days you have to just sharpen pencils and keep on sharpening them till you feel the need to draw' - George Woodman. Your work has always had the texture and talent of his daughter Francesca but I prefer yours since there is more emotion and layering. cheers lovely, A.M.MacKenzie

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