A new painting in the works.

There have been so many times when I look around at my studio – at the stacks of collages, the paintings lining my hallway waiting to dry, my sketchbooks and my journals – and I think to myself, "Well, that’s it, I have run out of ideas.  It’s all over."  Instances when I am positively certain my creative well has run dry and it is time to start mapping out a new career.

Then WOOSH, I pick up a book by another artist, get overwhelmingly inspired, come home, throw on my grubby painting jeans and I’m off in a wild new direction that I had never before considered.  After a few hours at my easel yesterday afternoon, I had four new paintings started and I felt almost buzzed with excitement.  My creative energy is still showing me so many doorways, paths, twisty staircases and hidden portals – I just have to be willing to walk through them with an open mind, ready to take action.

That willingness to take action immediately is one of the keys to the deepest creative exploration possible.  It is like the very first spark on a match – that split second where it is brightest and the flame bursts out in all directions before morphing into its smooth teardrop shape.  These are the moments that are ripe with potential.  Moments when we must be willing to jump into that initial flame before it softens too much.  The light can still be bright and inspiring as it settles down, but the more we learn to recognize that fiery instant and are able to let ourselves loose in its nucleus, the greater discoveries we can make.

"Energy is equal to desire and purpose."  -Sheryl Adams