“Get your butt in the chair”

Craftcast is my favorite podcast. I still love listening to Says You and Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, but I love the craft interviews. Alison Lee has an uncanny way of picking artists I particularly admire, and I learn something by listening to each artist’s perspective. I listened to the Celie Fago episode the other day. I was really looking forward to listening to this interview. I have taken several classes with Celie, and I admire her design sensibility, her thorough teaching style and her no-nonsense approach. The funny thing about the interview was that while I enjoyed hearing about Celie’s background and her current and future focus, the thing that struck me the most was her statement that the way to work through creative block was to simply spend time in the studio. “Get your butt in the chair.” I think the interviewer, Alison Lee, may have been the first one to use that particular phrase, but in any case, it really resonated with me.

Sometimes, I over analyze my issues with creativity. I often struggle with expecting too much of myself. My vanity demands that the work I do be up to some sort of personal quality standard. I worry about where I want to go with my art, what my goals are. All this self-imposed pressure has paralyzed me. Hearing someone I admire and respect say that the path out of a slump can be as simple as just going to the studio and connecting with the materials was one of those “doh” moments. So, last night I roped my husband into helping me put away the last of the books and I put away most of the supplies I had pulled out for the workshop I taught earlier in the month.

I sat down in my chair and quickly went from tidying my worktable to mixing colors to playing with a new bead shape. It was glorious! I could have stayed down there all night, but when I realized I was holding my clay blade upside down I stopped. I should probably pace myself.

Unfortunately with one of my kids still really sick, time to sneak away to the studio is scarce. But I am going to try to make myself spend some time in my creative chair as often as I can. I’m throwing away all pressures and expectations. No thinking about how much I’d like to have work ready to submit to Progress & Possibilities or Bead Dreams. I am resolving to go back to the fun.

Keep your fingers crossed we can get this horrible health situation resolved with E so that we can all go back to our regular routines. Even in pain and feeling as bad as she has been this past week, she’s getting really tired of being cooped up at home with me.