Day 95 of year 3
This project is about exploring the inner life of an artist, the issues that come up and the growth that occurs while working in the studio. It is a very public way of making art and it takes great discipline to keep the stream clear. By that I mean, listening and acting on inner impulses and messages alone, rather than viewer expectations. If a particular print gets a lot of likes, it's human nature to want to do more of what receives praise. It's also easy to worry about what people will think. But this is the short road to creative blockage and that I realized is what has been happening to me. In the back of my mind without even being conscious of it, I began censoring myself- I've used that symbol too often, people will be bored, they will think I'm lazy, etc. It kept me from fully embracing and letting go in my work. I know a wonderful artist, Jay Pingree (https://sixfootsixstudio.com/). He has been working the same topic, people walking, for quite a while. But I'm never bored when I see his work because it comes from a place of truth, his inner truth. Each piece unfolds an intimate and distinct experience and reveals something new though the subjects are the same. I am grateful for his example. Humans are addicted to judging especially self judgement. It is easy to fall into such an ingrained habit, but judgement has no place in the studio. It only narrows the stream and by releasing it, I feel fully present again in the studio. I don't know the purpose of my work, what energy is working through, or why, but that is not mine to know. It is for me to work with what the creative flow so generously offers.
For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.
You can purchase this monotype here.