Welcome to October and Creating What We Love

Can you believe it's October already? October has always been one of my favorite months of the year. There is a chill in the air. The leaves start changing and nature comes alive once again in rich orange and gold hues. But October has been mostly rainy and cool this time around, unlike the scene in the photo above that I captured in early October of last year while kayaking.

Still, I'm looking forward to some better weather later this week. I'm hoping for a chance to get outside, take a long walk and clear my head. I've struggled over this past week, particularly when it comes to my art. I'm at a crossroads of sorts. The class I'm taking is a bit more challenging than I expected. I'm seeing great art from so many talented artists in the weekly reviews. Seeing the examples, I can't help but wonder why my art doesn't look anything like what the other students are doing. Is this lack of skill on my part or simply that my style is different?

This week's assignment involved designing a collection of dinner plates. I admit I had so many ideas I wasn't sure where to start. But my worst fear was that if I chose one of the ideas I wouldn't be able to create what I really wanted to see. I can see the images so clearly in my mind, but getting them on paper is another matter.

I wrestled with several of the ideas. I second-guessed my choices. Tried new ways to create images on the iPad. I learned a lot about what not to do and picked up a few skills for future projects. I know more than I did before. That's progress at least. I did come up with a design for one plate and got it about 85% finished. It's still rough around the edges. Unfinished. Imperfect. But, despite the difficulties, I am able to see how this experience helped me grow as an artist.

I realize that it's more important than ever for me to create what I love, not what I think I "should" be creating. One lesson in the course materials struck a chord. The instructor said "people buy your joy". She said the things that bring us joy are what set us apart from other artists. At the end of the week, I realized I had not worked from that place of joy. I was trying too hard to be like the other artists. To think the way they do. And that simply didn't work for me. I believed I had to be someone else.

Undoubtably, I still have a lot to learn. But I think what I'll take away from this week's lessons is that listening to my joy is the key. It is what will keep me coming back to my studio desk with enthusiam each day. It is what will keep me practicing my skills and creating the art I want to share with the world and with you.

Thanks for being a part of the journey. I can already feel the magic building...