Sunday, March 01, 2009

Finding a Path



7ft x 4ft, ink on paper

February was a bad month for me - shoulder injury stopped me in my creative tracks and I have been finding it hard to get back in the groove now that I have some mobility back. I am determined though that March will see me back in full production and experimenting with new ideas, direction and projects.

One thing that came to me in the quiet moments this month was that I was in danger of forgetting why I was doing art - and that is because I love it and its fun. I really don't want to lose the fun of it and I think I need to get the play and experimentation back to get the joy back.

Robin Neudorfer has been feeding me sites that have lots on how to get the creative mojo flowing (thank you Robin) and many have amused me as they are me to a T.

Here are a couple of them - worth a read if you are in not leaping out of bed in the morning ready to be creative.

Get off your butt - 16 ways to get motivated when you are in a slump


7 tried and true ways to stifle your creativity

I have one lovely thing to keep me going for the next few months and that is being part of a sketchbook exchange. I am really excited to be a part of this with 8 other artists from around the world. More of that in days to come, I am sure.


The Road not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

10 comments:

Mary said...

I love the the depth and perspective in this pen & ink piece, lovely. Thank you for posting how to get the creative juices back.

Kim said...

oh I sympathise Anita!!!
shoulder injuries are awful :(
I hope it's back to normal asap..
nice vertical quality in the ink :)
thanks for the links ...
I really need some motivation at the moment :0

Robyn Sinclair said...

Wow, that is very striking, Anita - I love it. Wonderful notan. Do you really mean it is 4 ft (foot) by 7ft?!

Jeanette Jobson said...

Really good piece. I love the long shadows and shapes. The colour is wonderful too.

The groove will return, it always does.

Anita said...

Mary - thank you. Great links aren't they?

Kim - Thank you!

Robyn - yes it is that big. Its an old piece from my Uni days.

Jeanette - it was fun to do - threw a lot of ink around and used countless bottles of masking fluid.

Teresa Mallen said...

Wow Anita, a very striking piece! Absolutely beautiful!! Thanks for listing the size. I shall try to imagine as it appears in life.

Yes, March will be a much better month! Recovering from an injury and from the pain involved does take a toll. Be patient with yourself. :-) And you are so right, don't lose touch with why you do your art. Play, experiment and maintain the joy!!

Billie Crain said...

yea, those links nailed me, too. i'm not one to leap out of bed and get going and some days i never get going.

when i'm feeling uninspired fate usually intervenes and something will iginite the spark again. there's nothing like going off in a completely new direction to get the creative juices re-flowing.

i've always loved this piece. the colors are so unexpected but work so well to create a mood.

Robyn Sinclair said...

I'd love to see it IRL. Awesome.

Anita said...

Thank you Teresa - some ideas percolating like good coffee (at least I hope it will be drinkable!

Billie - isn't it lucky that spark comes back!

Robyn - its rolled up in storage with a bunch of other pieces also this size. Maybe someday we'll settle down somewhere so I can see them again myself IRL!

Katiejane said...

I have always loved this poem, and I guess you could say it is the secret me. The opposite of who I really am to the public. I am so predictable; I always take the road most taken, then wish I had been a little bolder and taken a risk. This is good advice, early in this new year. Thanks for reminding me.

all artwork is copyright of Anita Murphy 2006/2007/2008/2009