Goddess Abundant, or House Spirit cotton, linen, silk, thread, paperclay, acrylic paint, rice. approx. 11" tall
51/100 in 100 days creative challenge, and day 9 of August Everyday
I have been working on this lady for quite some time.
My creative process is starting to take a lot longer than it used to. Sometimes I look back at my previous everyday painting periods and I am amazed that I managed to start and finish so many pieces every single day. Now, I have a tendency to start something, start something else, finish something already started, and then do a project with my kids. I have a zillion projects in process.
This spirit goddess is one of them. I made the head a long time ago, and then I made the body and painted the decoration not too long ago, but I was told it wasn't done. Just in case you are wondering, she herself told me she wasn't done.
Maybe part of the abundance that I've been focusing on is about the wealth of projects, the willingness to explore something new. Like this little House Goddess. She's something new and I was kind of scared to go all the way with her. But when I found the right fabric, there was no reason to let my fear stop me.
Why should we be scared of new things? Why should we be afraid to take those chances on things that could be wonderful? Why should we close our hearts to the possibilities of experimentation and adventure.
You know, there's a lot of fear wrapped up with creative projects. It's amazing. The fear of the blank page. The fear of making mistakes. The fear of letting it go and releasing it into the world. The fear of showing. The fear of declaring that you are worth something. The fear of declaring yourself an artist.
Now how did I get from a post about abundance to a post about fear?
Are these two things connected? Is abundance really more than just having stuff? Is abundance more about being open to the world? Taking chances? Trusting that the universe will provide? Is abundance about saying yes to what you have, the life you live, the gifts you have to give?
Is abundance really about giving?
Well, I think my post has gone off in an unexpected direction. Perhaps my House Goddess is leading me there. What are your thoughts on the matter? What is abundance? What about fear and creativity? And are these things linked?
Reading your words about fear and creativity I feel echoes of myself. I think abundance is a fearful thing. True abundance I mean. It's so easy to fall back into buying stuff and surrounding myself with media, abundance of stimuli, rather than abundance of soul. When I create, it frees me from the need to have stuff, from the need to go buy things, from the need to fit in. That kind of abundance is scary, radical even. It's the kind of abundance that can change the world.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents. Good post, made me think.