When I first started this site, I envisioned it as a place to put my art-related writing. When Covid hit and my metal projects flatlined, I shifted direction. The site became a place to process what was going on around me.
I started writing about creativity in times of crisis. Interviewing artists and asking them the same questions I was asking myself. I didn’t spend much time in my studio in those days, showing up only to fulfill the small custom orders that sustained me. But I consoled myself with a new sort of creative work: writing and sharing stories.
As I watched Christy Gray work through her first, then second series of 100 pieces, I was inspired to set my own goal: 100 posts. A round number to aspire to.
I’m happy to report that this posts marks number 50. Halfway up a jagged mountain. Still a climb ahead of me, but I’ve got my groove now. And I have the most important asset of any long-term creative project:
Momentum.
I’ve learned so much throughout this process. Not just the little things, like the quirks of a new block editor, or how to tune out the distractions around me as I write. But the squishier stuff, like how to shift mindsets from the deadline-driven, physical work of metal art to the mushy, invisible work of writing and connecting.
My daughter set me straight in a long, caffeinated phone call one day:
What, you think it’s not REAL work because your back doesn’t hurt? You don’t feel productive because you’re not sore at the end of the day? It’s ALL work, mom. Shut up and do it.”
These days as sales of my metal artwork have picked back up, I’m juggling both kinds of work – physical and invisible. More importantly, I’m valuing both. Mind and body. Connection and seclusion. I’m finding a balance I haven’t felt in a long time – and very much enjoying it.
So what do the next 50 posts look like? A lot like the last 50 perhaps, but a bit more streamlined, a bit more consistent. A continued focus on creativity, with an ever-widening view. Lots of food for thought, with plenty of eye candy sprinkled throughout.
And once I’ve reached the first 100, I’ll do the next.
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