Creative Bursts
I have found that Major Creative Breakthroughs come in bursts, waves.
These much-lusted-after breaks lead us into new artistic grounds, offer us financial returns, and leave us truly inspired. If only they weren’t so few and far between.
Here are a few ideas to keep inspired whilst waiting.
Our job as artists and makers is to keep making, keep our hands busy, and trust that creative peaks and new discoveries come along as they will.
These waves are treats, bursts of goodness that happen when they do. We can’t preempt them.
Our job is to allow them to happen when they do, and remember that major breakthroughs are fickle beasts and can’t be relied upon.
I think it’s important to say that if we try too hard to forcefully emulate these natural creative highs, we can become exhausted and frustrated.
To give some context, in my thirty years of working, I have encountered perhaps six of these huge happenings. Each moving my work along naturally onto another stage.
That means perhaps once every five years or so, these natural ground-breaking creative waves come.
In short, not often.
So now we get to talk about what happens in between them.
WE SHOW UP TO WORK
Just as an accountant, postman, cook or librarian goes to work. So do we artists and makers.
We put the hours in, whichever way works for us. We go to work every day and make We take orders in, repeat works that are selling by making them in series - because sales mean that we get to carry on.
Let’s say for argument’s sake that you make ceramic toadstools!
In the beginning, you LOVED making ceramic toadstools.
You felt inspired, immersed yourself in the process of making and painting them, enjoying a high from every one that sold. Now some 18 months later, the magic is gone and you can’t bear making them anymore.
Yet they are still selling, and well.
What do you do? Stop making them entirely? Quit by stating that you never, ever want to see another fucking toadstool in your life?
It would be understandable if you did.
A better way would be to understand what's happening.
People are buying. You are tired, yes, but your rent is being paid and money is coming in.
It’s easy to feel stuck.
There are ways around this and here are some options.
Take a break from making toadstools. Not a forever break, but perhaps a good week or so to spend some time making something else, something completely different in your studio.
You could up the prices of your toadstools. Not hugely, but sometimes seeing a higher return for what you make can be satisfying enough to see a little inspiration return.
Having had a little time in your studio after step 1, might there be a new way of making your toadstools? A tweak in colour, pattern, shape or method that you hadn’t considered before? Sometimes a little development time can work wonders.
In the UK, there is an old saying about not throwing out the baby with the bathwater - in short, it means not to discard something valuable along with other things that are undesirable.
If your toadstools, paintings, jewellery or artisan cookies are selling well, there are things that can be done to keep your inspiration alive whilst enjoying the returns along the journey, instead of stopping altogether.
I know this now, having proverbially thrown out hundreds of babies along the way.
I hope this post helps.
Much love,
Sam x
