Being Inspired and Measuring Up

It's been a tough week this week. I've been dealing with a lot of pain, and when that hits I find I want to work on some simple projects. I find it much more difficult to concentrate, so envisioning what I'm going to put together isn't so easy. What usually works best at times like these is a bunch of trial and error. Sometimes I come up with some very different - than -usual looking pieces and it can be great! More often than not, I end up doubting myself and taking things apart. I do a lot of shopping at this time, thinking I really need to re-vamp everything I'm doing, and if I only had the tools and materials I could do so much better.

I'm sure self-doubt sits with every artist. I need to focus on why I'm doing this - this is my soul salve. I'm doing this for me - not for anyone else's approval. But don't we all look for someone else's approval in the end? It just helps things along in the mix.

At the end of a pain cycle, I find I have a lot of half-finished projects. Almost-finished projects. Things I don't quite believe I made! Some are beautiful, some need to be sent to the junk pile, but isn't that what art is all about? I have a couple of pieces that are screaming to be finished, I'm just missing appropriate clasps - the style is much darker than the sunny, happy product I usually design. It's cool. I'm evolving.

It's harder than I thought to produce art for art's sake, without seeking approval. The question I need to ask is "What do I think?" For someone who polls everyone for their opinion before getting dressed every morning, this is a difficult task.

Kierabel's motto: Peace, Love and Happiness. Those are the feelings I wish to have about my creations. The feelings I want to inspire within myself .