Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Dance


After putzin' around the house this morning doing some chores, I headed to the studio. Actually I got to the studio, but quickly decided I needed a little extra caffeine to get the creative juices going.

Yes, I wanted/needed that caffeine, but it was a little of a delay tactic as well. Sometimes there seems to be a little dance I go thru before I start creating. I sit down at my work desk. I organize supplies. I page through a few books/magazines. I think and think about what it is I want to work on (really I am visualizing). I juggle my paints and brushes some more. I look at work in progress. I look at work completed. Sometimes I call a friend.

The walk today was part of my dance. It allowed me to do some more thinking (visualizing) about what I wanted to work on.

So I came back from my walk caffeinated and ready to paint. The dance was over...and I was ready to work.

What kind of dance do you do before you start creating?

4 comments:

Artsnark said...

Love the pic of your bright & cheery workstation!

My dance depends on the project. If if is for someone else I tend to procrastinate & will even do housework - gasp! My excuse is that I'm thinking....

If it is for fun, I find music for the right mood,flood my brain & then jump in.

whyte said...

Sometimes that's the only way my house gets cleaned...more of a I-shouldn;t-have-fun-until-I-feel-pain kind of thing, then I do feel this hesitation that I can't quite explain. Maybe because I never have a set plan. I agree with Stacey, I love you studio and worktable!

risa said...

I always put on music first thing...sometimes I escape to my studio just to sit there and listen to music!

Anonymous said...

Ahh, these dances are important. They are a form of active contemplation. They clear the mind, give us focus and sometimes we grab inspiration from them. I'm lucky enough that my "daily dance" takes place as a walk on the beach. Sometimes I determine my lucky number for the day by the number of dolphins that completely leap out of the water or the number of perfect specimens of sea glass that I find. Then I return to my studio with a clear head and new ideas.