process

Process.
What is it that keeps us fresh, interested, working forward? I know it is very, very easy to drop into a rut as an artist, getting good at one technique, using that as a crutch to easily pop out our creative eggs every day as a repetitive pattern, not pushing the boundaries or struggling with anything new or different or innovative. Indeed, as artists, we are mostly required to have a signature style, an image and a "look" that defines our work. But that really works against creativity and play. We need to be brave enough to try new things. One of the beauties of art journaling is it allows us the chance to play, to innovate, to make messes and experiments, to try all kinds of new techniques and media. Change. Good for the soul. Make sure you mess around a lot, don't get stuck. I just traveled back East for a brief visit, and although the planes and trains and buses and suitcases and logistics were tiring, the new scenery was just good for my soul. Get out and move. Try something new. Make a mess. Have fun.

Focusing only on the results stagnates the process.

"The biggest bursts of speciation that we know about in the history of the earth are soon after great cataclysms, like the extinction of the dinosaurs, which create new opportunities, and all sorts of new forms spring up... So, quite often, the reasons for creativity depend on accidents or disasters that prevent the normal habits being carried out." --Rupert Sheldrake