Art has been on my mind recently. Last night Brian and I went to the New Art 08 Show at San Francisco’s ultra hip Hotel des Arts. Vivid artwork hung along all the hallways. Even the rooms in this hotel are painted floor to ceiling by emerging local artists. It was a maze of creative and eclectic energy. Some of my favorites pieces were from artists Tricia Choi, Disposable Hero and 3 Fish Studios.
Being amidst all this art reminded me of a trailor that I saw Jamie twitter about a couple of weeks ago. Above is the trailor for the new documentary called “Who Does She Think She Is?” This film follows the lives of five women artists as they courageously buck stereotypes and balance their creative life with their other roles of wife, mother, etc. It looks fascinating and I can’t wait to see it when it comes out.
And just today we just had a call on the Co-Active Network Creative Artists Community about Art and Love (a follow-up dialogue from our discussion of the book Art and Fear). As I reflect on the art show, on this movie, on some of my blogger/artists friends like Leah and Jessie, and my own creative process, I can see how powerful it is to move through fear and create anyway. How when we come from love, abundance and courage as we put our work out there we create community and connection through our art. And how art can show up as many different things – a brightly painted mural in a hotel room, a documentary about creative women, or how we choose to express ourselves in our day-to-day lives.
How is art showing up in your life right now? And what inspiration or insights are you taking away from the creative process?
What I do for a living -financial planning and investing -) is not the perfect outlet for my creative urges (unless you consider building portfolios or producing financial plans creative!) But I have found a way to express myself – through the way I pull myself together everyday – through clothing, jewelry, accessories. Fortunately, I am self-employed so I have no dress code imposed upon me and I can wear what I want. I use color and style and texture as my paintbrushes and touch it all up with a little lipstick and eyeshadow! Often people will tell me that they love my dress or shoes or necklace or overall look and I get alot of pleasure out of this validation of my chosen art form. One day, I may find the time to paint, or sew, or sculpt but for now, something as simple as getting dressed works!
I enjoyed your post. It certainly resonates with my situation. I’m right in the middle of getting to launch a new product line, stemming from my current art business, as a decorative painter and muralist. Doing this has required a tremendous amount of work, countless hours, patience, and deep breathing when the fear and frustration get overwhelming. I just posted today about the creative process (step-by-step guides to producing various kinds of art) on my blog ArtIsEverywhere (http://www.ashley-spencer.com/ArtIsEverywhere/. I get lots of inspiration from many sources and I find the blog outlet to be helpful to organize it all. It’s hard, however, for an artist to balance the business and the creative side — one takes from the other, but the inspiration & seeing the end result are the drivers to power through.
Here, here to creating art anyway!
Recently I’ve been toying with making new art – treasure boxes based on stories. I’m sneaking up on it slowly, so it won’t get scared and run away!
I’m looking forward to more of your creations!