Creative Hibernation

I’ve been an artist “painter” for 31 years now. Frankly, it’s a long time to do anything, but year by year, decade by decade, time chipped away a lengthy career. On and off, really all my life, I’ve also been a writer.

But over the last ten years, this has increased to the point of me rarely writing less than a thousand words a week, all of which is published in one form or another. Honestly, it’s been more like a couple of thousand words and I love it. In fact, I love it easily as much as I have ever loved painting. They are, of course different, and yet the same, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

So sometimes creative types wrestle with new creative interests or a dormant period with respect to one particular creative outlet. In my case it’s painting. This is what I’ll call Creative Hibernation. It’s a time when you put your creative bear to bed for a while. It’s okay. It’s okay to also do so to follow a new path. Remember, you are the creative one. Things like painting, writing, sculpting, dancing, or acting, are all simply vehicles of expression. They themselves are not what is important. Bringing your ideas and thoughts to the surface and out of you is what is artistically essential.

There certainly can be room for more than one form of expression or creative endeavor, but there doesn’t have to be. Sometimes moving to just one thing allows you to better focus. Where writing is concerned for me, I’ve really just spent time writing, but I’m producing published pieces that are about art and about Porsche automobiles. Two separate interests, one vehicle to get them out of me.

Will painting ever come alive again? I have to say, of course. There are images brewing in my head, but I’m pretty sure my approach and the art that I produce will be different. I believe when I wake the bear, the bear will be hungry for something new and I won’t claw around for long getting started either!

Live an artful life,
Tom

 

Read my blog every Tuesday!