Process Not Product

Sometimes….OK, well a LOT of times, I catch myself trying to make something pleasing or “good”.  It means that I am craving that feeling of satisfaction I get when I love a piece that I just made. Inevitably when I start a page with this feeling, I make mud. I believe that it is because the minute I get attached to outcomes, or have an expectation, I have put a kink in the creative conduit. I have cut myself of from authenticity. If I come to the page humble and open however, miracles happen. If I allow the images to come through me rather than trying to control or manhandle them into something that makes me feel good, they are authentic and meaningful. This does not mean they are beautiful or pleasing to the eye (although sometimes they certainly are), it means that they are honest and true. For me a page that is honest can be grungy and gnarly or with no aesthetic value at all. It can also be beautiful and balanced and pleasing to the eye. I can look at every page I have ever created and tell you if it was honest or not. I will admit that there are many that are not. My goal this year is to be honest every time I step into my studio, and to remember why I make art…….to heal, to process, to honor my connection with the divine. If I can remember that and stay in that space, that’s when the real magic happens. I usually need some help, so I say a little prayer and light a candle as I begin.

Here is one of my absolute favorite prayers by Alex Grey:

Creator of the Universe,
How infinite and astonishing
Are your worlds.
Thank you,
For your Sacred Art
And sustaining Presence.

Divine Imagination,
Forgive my blindness,
Open all my Eyes.
Reveal the Light of Truth.
Let original Beauty
Guide my every stroke.

Universal Creativity,
Flow through me,
From my heart
Through my mind to my hand,
Infuse my work with spirit
To feed hungry souls.

I pray every day that my work be infused with spirit and that it may open ALL my eyes. Thank you Alex for this amazing tapestry of words!!