Philosophical Contemplation

The Creative Life...


...ebbs and flows and twists and turns and spins and swirls. Ideas, styles, subjects, media… “What do I want to do today or this week or this year?” I ask myself.

Inspired first by this artist, book, or blog; and then another – so much information, so much to choose from; so many styles and subjects and ways to create. Whimsical? Realistic? Stylized? Expressionist? Impressionist? An endless array of supplies from which to choose; and always, a new book being written, a new technique to try, a new artist to be inspired by…

Where is the focus? How does one find focus? Who am I artistically and is it possible to do it all? – No. Emphatically, no. And yet I keep trying, adding to my stash of supplies, adding to my already overwhelming knowledge bank; and then, I long for simplification, direction, and the all-allusive focus. I crave organization and order. I want to finish something of value. I want to concentrate on one thing. My attention span seems to grow shorter and shorter. Overloaded with information and inspiration, I cannot process it all. It’s dizzying, overwhelming, and counter-productive at times. Stacks and stacks of magazines, piles and piles of books, infinite websites and blogs allowing one to communicate with everyone all over the world in the same day almost at the same moment.

And yet, I find myself taken in and allured by it on a daily basis. I cannot resist the temptation to spend and continue to search for that one thing that I might lack or that I haven’t tried. Today I’ve been tempted by Twinkling H2O’s, tomorrow it will be something else entirely...

And then there is the issue of time – if only I were as overloaded with time as I am with everything that could fill my time. I wonder if this is a timeless dilemma experienced by generations before me, or if it is more prevalent in this age of computers and instant gratification, instant access to boundless information. And I wonder how to manage it. How to rein it in and make it work. It’s a force as great as the wind that has downed trees and power lines lately. The creative life, the need to create, is a force so great that feeds on the endless inspiration and information that is out there and available at the touch of a button.

How does one keep from being swept away by the force of creativity? How does one focus? How does one rein in the power and subdue it enough to create something of value, to finish a project, to know what one’s art is about? To know what it is one is trying to express.

Think about the word “express”. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word as follows:

“express”verb

Definition of EXPRESS

transitive verb

1
a : DELINEATE, DEPICT b : to represent in words : STATE c : to give or convey a true impression of : SHOW, REFLECT d : to make known the opinions or feelings of (oneself) e : to give expression to the artistic or creative impulses or abilities of (oneself) f : to represent by a sign or symbol : SYMBOLIZE

2
a : to force out (as the juice of a fruit) by pressure b : to subject to pressure so as to extract something

3
: to send by express

4
: to cause (a gene) to manifest its effects in the phenotype; also : to manifest or produce (a character, molecule, or effect) by a genetic process

— ex•press•er noun

— ex•press•ible \-ə-bəl\ adjective

“To give expression to the artistic or creative impulses or abilities of oneself,” sometimes feels like a forcing out or extraction. Sometimes the need is so great that it feels like pressure is being applied. My very living and breathing seems to be in artistic, creative impulses. But oh, how I love life as a creative person. To be otherwise for me would be to not exist at all. Alive with passion and enthusiasm for color and line. That is to be truly alive.

So, in conclusion, I suppose the expression is the focus. The creative passion is the focus; no matter what technique, subject, style, or media one uses. The focus is to express that creative and artistic impulse. The impulse to create is the crux of the whole matter, and may that passion and enthusiasm never cease to pulsate in my heart and soul!