One thing I have run into repeatedly over my years of creativity: people asking when I’m going to DO SOMETHING with my work. It doesn’t matter if it’s been crochet, painting, writing, photography or sewing. The world has this weird idea that creative pursuits have no value unless you’re making money from them. The problem …
art
Working At Art
Making art can be a challenge. Tonight it would have been easy to stay comfortably seated at my kitchen table and eating my dinner. Making art meant having to get up, grab my cameras, put on shoes and a jacket and drive around town to the best place to see the sunset. Dinner will wait. …
When Other People Kill Your Creativity
Recently, I was working on what I’m sure would have been a great blog post when I received a snotty text message from a friend on an unrelated topic. Stupidly, I stopped typing to pick up the phone and read the message. It took me ten minutes to stop being pissed off and start typing …
What Do I Mean When I Say “Create”?
I’m always urging someone to create something. Most people think I mean they should write, and in a few cases, that’s true. I know people who give great advice, and, in my opinion, should definitely be blogging and helping others. I also know people who love to take photos but don’t take very many because …
Art vs. Craft
I know a few people from my previous years of blogging who get pissed off if you refer to them as practicing a craft. From Dictionary.com: Craft means “an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill.” That’s not bad, right? It doesn’t indicate you’re doing something important with colored paper and paste …
Yes, You Can Create
Now that I’ve gone off about making art versus making excuses and told the world why I create, I heard from a friend who basically said that while it’s fine for me to take time to work on my art, she can’t, because she has a family and she works too much and…and…and… I stopped …
Art or Excuses?
You know those people who are very creative and have tons to offer the world but they refuse to get started on a project? Me too. I know them all too well because I used to be one of them. I never thought of stopping to take a photo of the moss on the ground …
Why Create Art?
A few days ago I met a couple of people on the beach. I was taking photos, and the nice gentleman, seeming very interested in my answer, asked why I am a photographer. I mumbled something about liking to create beautiful things then changed the subject, feeling somewhere between clueless and a pretentious asshole. On my drive home, I started thinking about why …