This really resonates. “Trajectory” feels like a more honest way of describing the creative life than the usual focus on inspiration or breakthroughs. It also quietly acknowledges how much of it is a continuous, often solitary practice, sometimes struggle — both inner and external — of staying with the work over time.
Excellent article and really good timing for me as I have been working on this particular piece. I started with a vision as to what the basic form is but didn't have meaning to it. Once the form was thought out, I struggled with it. Then it dawned on me as I've been obsessing over a long term friendship that was ended by the other person. That had me going through so many moods and thoughts. Then it happened.....the piece I started took on all this stuff and the piece became an assemblage/portrait of her, titled with her name. And a lot of symbolism within the piece. This has been both cathartic for me to put all that mind/mood junk into the actual object junk to create this piece and make it meaningful to me. And the trajectory is moving nicely as both my thoughts/feelings and the creation of the piece is working hand in hand towards an eventual finished and meaningful piece of art.
That's interesting Annette. It didn't start with consciously thinking about the person but then it dawned on you that this was what your intuitive self was working out? I have had similar experiences. sometimes much later where I wondered why I had made a certain work, then after a number of things in my life happened and I looked back, saw that I was poetically working out the problem on a deeper level below verbal thought.
YES!..."below verbal thought"...........as I've been working on the piece every day, I've been feeling 'lighter' too.......that is about the emotional heaviness that her ending the friendship has weighed on me. As I can't find a better word for the overused "closure", I do feel in some way as if there's a transfer of my sadness to the piece; a place to put it on, like hanging one's worries on the symbolic tree outside one's home made for that purpose so that you don't bring it in. It's definitely not a voodoo 'doll' where I'm wishing whatever on her.......and anyone who'll look at the finish piece will find it attractive (I hope) as a portrait.......as a work of art. The more I got into creating art, the more I knew I didn't need a therapist any longer (last seen one around 4+ yrs ago).
Thank you...
This really resonates. “Trajectory” feels like a more honest way of describing the creative life than the usual focus on inspiration or breakthroughs. It also quietly acknowledges how much of it is a continuous, often solitary practice, sometimes struggle — both inner and external — of staying with the work over time.
Excellent article and really good timing for me as I have been working on this particular piece. I started with a vision as to what the basic form is but didn't have meaning to it. Once the form was thought out, I struggled with it. Then it dawned on me as I've been obsessing over a long term friendship that was ended by the other person. That had me going through so many moods and thoughts. Then it happened.....the piece I started took on all this stuff and the piece became an assemblage/portrait of her, titled with her name. And a lot of symbolism within the piece. This has been both cathartic for me to put all that mind/mood junk into the actual object junk to create this piece and make it meaningful to me. And the trajectory is moving nicely as both my thoughts/feelings and the creation of the piece is working hand in hand towards an eventual finished and meaningful piece of art.
That's interesting Annette. It didn't start with consciously thinking about the person but then it dawned on you that this was what your intuitive self was working out? I have had similar experiences. sometimes much later where I wondered why I had made a certain work, then after a number of things in my life happened and I looked back, saw that I was poetically working out the problem on a deeper level below verbal thought.
YES!..."below verbal thought"...........as I've been working on the piece every day, I've been feeling 'lighter' too.......that is about the emotional heaviness that her ending the friendship has weighed on me. As I can't find a better word for the overused "closure", I do feel in some way as if there's a transfer of my sadness to the piece; a place to put it on, like hanging one's worries on the symbolic tree outside one's home made for that purpose so that you don't bring it in. It's definitely not a voodoo 'doll' where I'm wishing whatever on her.......and anyone who'll look at the finish piece will find it attractive (I hope) as a portrait.......as a work of art. The more I got into creating art, the more I knew I didn't need a therapist any longer (last seen one around 4+ yrs ago).