Kat Eye Studio

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Seeing the Light

The difficulties are always the most important ingredients in the total picture of a creative experience.
— Shaun McNiff in Trust the Process: An Artist’s Guide to Letting Go


I started a new book for my “morning practice reading” in the last few days, Trust the Process: An Artist’s Guide to Letting Go by Shaun McNiff. This book has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, probably back to 2009 or early 2010. As in anything, my reading goes in cycles and I found interest in going back to the basics of the creative process. How nice to have this great book waiting for me, with gems like the quote above sprinkled liberally throughout the first chapter alone. It resonated with where I am right now. Here’s another:

Creativity cannot flourish and reach its deepest potential without the participation of its demons as well as its angels.
In other words, there is no such thing as a free lunch. We don’t get the good stuff without some bad stuff thrown in. Some challenge, some struggle is needed for the creative process. That’s what helps us find new ways of doing things.

These statements struck home, after my struggles with the “down” part of the creative cycle this month. As I come out of it and see my creativity picking up, as I see my inspiration begin to flow as it usually does, I see what the down time has been giving me. A respite, a time to go within. A time to revisit the process, with all of its ups and downs.

I’m off from my corporate job this week, a planned holiday shutdown. I have been frustrated about the inflexibility of forced time off at work because I don’t have any vacation time left this year, but I find that I’m enjoying the space to focus on my creative pursuits. Not to mention hanging out with my family, doing things like learning to fly an RC helicopter from my son and getting addicted to Glee on Netflix with my husband.

But under it all, after coming through the down cycle, I find that new stuff is brewing and I have some space to create. It should be interesting around here!

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Comments

  4. Holy wowza….helicopter flying? Did I hear that right? That’s a big jump from scooters. And Glee-that is so addicting.
    I have been giving myself morning writing time for about 6+ months a la “The Artist’s Way”, but lately feeling it is not helping but more of a gritch and bitch and woe is me session. I may try a little morning reading instead. Perhaps filling my head with positives rather than negatives would be a good idea. Glad that you’ve dipped into the dark and find yourself pulling towards the light….like seeds that germinate in the soil and break forth come spring. Enjoy those days Kat.

    • Well, it’s radio-controlled helicopter flying, not a real helicopter Susan. 🙂 it’s still not easy to fly! I encourage you to both read and write, if you have the time, in the mornings. I find that one will often feed off the other, bringing new ideas into my head where I make connections in new ways. Without the external ideas from the reading and then processing them with the writing, I would be stuck in my own little world. Let me know what book you choose, I’m curious!

  5. First of all, I love Glee. And I wished we had netflix here, it sounds like a great system!

    Having said that: I can’t wait to see what you will be brewing the next period. I love that you’re reading that book right now. I just started working in ‘the artist’s way’ last week. I have had the book for over a year, but I guess it never was the time yet to start in it. Until now.

    Have a lovely vacation Kat!

    • I love that you just started The Artist’s Way recently! Isn’t it funny how we can have these books sitting around forever, and then suddenly it is the “right” time? That book was a key book at the start of my creative journey. I would love to hear what you get out of it!

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