The Magic of Creation

I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be an artist. By definition, an artist is one who creates art. The art is the end-product and, I suspect, the goal. The art is what we put out into the world to be admired by an adoring public. The masses oooh and aaah, or they may moan and groan. But either way, they are taken in one form or another with the end-product that is art.

The interesting thing to me is that this is not where the magic happens at all... at least for the artist. Any rapture and bliss is felt by the artist during the period of creation. It is in the little moments spent alone - applying paint, gluing paper, sculpting clay, or sewing fabric. Inspiration happens here. The excitement of overcoming obstacles happens here. And the vibration of being in the zone with your materials happens here. The essential magic of being an artist occurs not when you've created your best work... but during the creation of that work. Once a piece has been realized, the magic that I'm speaking of will vanish like smoke in the wind. Until, of course, you move onto the next thing...

Which brings me to my blog. Lately I've been fearing that my daily posts about my fabric collages might be a bit boring. I desperately want to present you with a neatly-wrapped, beautifully displayed, completed piece of art. After all, this is the goal that society expects we artists achieve. But this morning I realized that my life as an artist is comprised of the bits and pieces... not the finished work. When I finally do present you with my completed collage, it will be with no small amount of sadness mixed in. The splendor of that creative period will be over, and I will mourn the loss.

So in the meantime, I'm not going to worry about the pressure to produce and the stress of racing toward a finished product. My daily trials and tribulations are my bliss. The simple act of creation is wherein lies the gift. It is why I do what I do. And that, my friends is what I have to share with you each day - wonderfully incomplete, beautifully fragmented magic.