What's so great about making art?

One of my mentors and dear friends Laurie Doctor wrote another thought provoking post on her wonderful blog, A Silver Fraction today. Her thoughts and questions about why we make art spurred me to revisit some of my own recent ones in a deeper way. I have been thinking a lot about my own creative practice lately and why it calls to me. This query is especially poignant for me after a long hiatus of resisting my need to make art. The hiatus was necessary, I am sure, but heart-wrenching, nonetheless. It was the most painful time of my life, and although I had navigated dark times before, this one really stopped me in my tracks. The pull to create was strong, but  somehow facing what might come out if I did paralyzed me. Thanks to my recent injury, I was forced to surrender to its familiar tug deep in my heart. Once I allowed that, my daily art practice emerged back into my days like a wildfire burning out of control. I know that this fire will wax and wane, but I feel like I have finally understood in the deepest way (not just in my head), how important it is for me to honor my creative practice NO MATTER WHAT. Whether I spend 10 minutes creating in my journal, or hours in my studio, that time and practice is crucial for me. Laurie’s post really got me to realize one of the many reasons why.For me it is a way of expressing that transcends the everyday hum of words, thoughts and explanations that tug at me and pull me outside myself. I can get so caught up in these things, especially in relation to others. My art removes me from that mayhem, if even for a brief few minutes. It clears away the extraneous distractions and ushers me swiftly into myself and into my connection with spirit. It grounds me and helps me to feel where I stop and others start. It creates an energetic bubble in which only spirit and my soul are present. It is when I can truly feel at peace. The only other thing that does this for me is sailing alone on my beloved boat, and I am so grateful for both. A big thank you to Laurie for always helping me to dig deeper and root into what I know in my bones to be true. If you have never seen Laurie’s work, read her blog or most especially taken a class from her……you simply MUST! Please do yourself a favor and know this lovely soul! You will never be the same!

Tell me.....why do YOU make art?