Well, I got started on my piece and am very pleased so far, but then I got sidetracked with the preparations for the surprise baby shower I hosted last Saturday. I think sometimes I avoid doing something creative (procrastinate) because of what I have mentioned before—it’s all great in theory, but I’m committing myself once I actually start, choosing a path and thus shutting off all the other potentialities. But I have started my water challenge, now it’s just finishing it that will be the challenge!
I do find that I have a lot more confidence about this piece than I have any other original item I’ve done so far. It has been a leap of faith for me to do what I have done so far and trust that the piece will reveal itself to me as I go; very different than following instructions for a project and knowing at the beginning what the end result will be. But it’s exciting! I did spend the first week of this month just thinking about the piece, and that was very useful. It prepared me so that when I went to my studio area one evening, I knew I was ready to make a start. I still don’t know how it’s going to end, but I knew to begin, and that was something.
One thing I find interesting is that for all my thoughts on words and the enjoyment I get from other’s collage pieces, I am really resistant to putting words on my own pieces. Seems it will lessen them somehow, make them less serious, I don’t know exactly what it is. So I may, if I have time, make multiple items (perhaps meant to be hung in a group) and use words on some but not on others. But it’s a funny prejudice I’ve discovered, especially since I like it in others’ work.
