I have come to the realisation that I should really stop beating myself up when I have a lull in my creativity.
Apparently this is a common thing – time for you to take a step back, give the old brain a break, and come back to what you love refreshed.
Getting bored is always my enemy. I can only do the same thing for a short period of time before it loses its gloss, and my little monkey brain finds something else new and shiny to focus on. I fear that this will have (or has had) the consequence of turning myself into a dilettante/Jill-of-all-trades… although I prefer to think of myself as a ‘renaissance woman’ 🙂
I’ve always enjoyed learning new things, though my passion for creative pursuits is a relatively recent development. I spent the majority of my childhood squirreled away reading something – usually science fiction of some description. This led me to harbour dreams of becoming a writer – along with the millions of others out there! I remember I did one creative writing subject for my English major in my Arts degree (which I did at the same time as my science degree for the simple fact of wanting to study so many things that one degree wasn’t good enough!). One of the lecturers made it very plain – “unless you have a burning passion to be a writer – don’t bother. There are already so many people who have the desire that it will be a waste of your time if you try to compete against them.” Hmm. Words of wisdom or words to ignore?
I always tend to throw myself into something new to the point of becoming obsessive – and then I burn out, lose all interest and give it up. Thankfully, I’ve realised that this is a normal part of the process for me – and that in a few weeks/months time I will slowly begin to pick it up again, albeit at a more sane, realistic pace 🙂
So, to those of you who’ve wondered where I’ve been, that’s your answer. I’m still making stuff, but only a little here and there – I’m working on a scarf at the moment, and I’ve plans for a few pieces of jewellery – but I’m also enjoying my newest obsession – painting! Expect to hear more from me about it in the coming months. I’ve bitten the bullet and signed up for a 9-week painting course at the Brisbane Institute of Art, in an attempt to prolong my interest by actually learning techniques and skills properly! Oh, and I also plan to take a silversmithing course in May sometime – that will be a fantastic experience also – and will hopefully teach me some new skills to inspire some more wonderful metalwork!