Saturday, October 17, 2015

Autumn Inspiration

Here I am on the San Francisco peaks. I  took the chair lift  up with all the other tourists, looking down on the golden aspens. I actually expected to see even more color, but mother nature showed  a lovely canvas.
I like fall. The air gets cooler, as  do we. It is a change, which is not a bad thing. Nature beckons. I  gain insights and inspiration living in this incredible environment. The holiday seasons are approaching, all of them. As artists, we can no longer put off that final productive surge, and those due dates exist. Christmas will not be postponed, simply because we are not quite ready!
A fellow craftsman welcomes what he calls this " creative tension", as he starts a new project, or tackles a problem in a new design. I try to keep this thought in mind, even as I sit down to write this blog.
 Soon I will go into my calligraphy studio. It's time for   some serious thinking on this idea that has been floating around in my head for a while.  That is the first step in my creative process.
It is time to get into my autumn inspiration.
 

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Rainy Day Creativity

It's a rainy day in Sedona. Again. I had plans to go up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. Places to go; things to do; people to see. I started out in the morning. The rain got heavier. There were rivers of water rushing down the road. I know  rocks fall from the walls above the road I was traveling. Did I really want to do this?
It is usually a joyful ride up the canyon, always something new to see. I have traversed this path often, but people unknowing of this journey could make it dangerous. My inner voice kept saying" you don't want to do this. Your life is important to you, Victoria.Do not go."
So I didn't. I turned around and came back from whence I started. Cancelled everything via the phone.Since I gave up this plan I would be creative, by golly. I joyfully entered  my clay studio and rolled out a very large slab of clay. There, I was committed to making something very large, or more smaller creations. I chose the latter.
 I had been selling my porcelain pueblos, so it seemed to make sense to continue with what the public wanted. I always think I will make too much stock and then have lots of back up. Somehow, it does  sell,  and then I am a bit panicked. 
Creation is only the first step with clay. Next comes clean up, and then more. Continuing with the first  firing, then clean up, then more. Afterwards glazing,  then.... you get the picture.The longest journey always begins with but the first step, and I was taking that road this rainy day.