What’s missing?

I’m a big believer in creativity, in art and in making things.

That’s the thing that has always been my joy in life.

It’s not something that I do for a living or get paid for. However, I value it just as much, if not more than my day job.

It feels special to make things, to work my hands to allow something to be transformed into something else.

I don’t think I’ve been doing that enough lately. I’ve had small moments here and there but not enough consistency.

That’s what I’m missing right now, immersing myself in making, creating and using my hands.

Understanding the vision

When viewing a piece of work it’s important to understand the vision.

What is the intention behind the work?

It’s like when their is a piece of art and people don’t get. They will criticise it and complain about it or say that they don’t understand.

Those thoughts come from the perpective of the viewer.

But if you then think about it from the artists perspective or even read/listen to the artist talk about their work, you might start to understand the vision a little more.

Sometimes it’s easy for a message to get lost in translation, especially when you’re viewing it through the lenses of your own biases, interests and experiences.

Understanding art

Sometimes you don’t get it, until you do.

Creativity, self-expression and art is all based on perception.

One mans trash really is another mans treasure.

When it comes to art it’s easy to overlook something or think that you don’t like it. But the truth might just be that you haven’t given it time.

I was recently surprised at something creative, I assumed I wouldn’t like it for various reasons.

In my moment of being pleasantly surprised, I had a mini aha moment where things clicked and I started to understand the art.

But I also realised that I’d told myself this story about what I do and don’t like, as a result I closed myself off to things I may have actually liked.

A lot of other people do this and that they don’t even know it.

Vulnerable creativity

A big part of creativity is being vulnerable.

When the work you’re producing is not at the level you’re content with it may be because of one of 2 reasons.

The first is that you’re working in a medium that you’re so used to that you need to dig deeper in order to produce something with an element of vulnerability.

The second is that you’re working in a new, less familiar medium and you haven’t reached that level of comfort where you’re able to be vulnerable with what you create.

As someone who writes a daily blog, has journalled for over a decade, has had various lifestyle blogs over the past 8 years and also writes poetry, I’m quite familiar with expressing vulnerability through my words.

However, I’ve recently been working on taking and styling photos which is something new for me.

I’m still finding my way with taking photots which is why it often feels difficult. But instead of pushing myself to create something interesting, I find myself holding back.

It’s easier just to do something simple instead of putting myself into my work. That takes vulnerability.

There are levels to creativity.

I beleive that I’m able to convey vulnerability through my writing. But as I work with other mediums I find that I’m much less free-flowing. My work is rigid and sometimes uninteresting.

It’s not neccisarily bad but in the creative process I don’t feel like I’m experimenting or pushing the boundary

The best work

Right now might be the right time to start exercising your creative muscles.

Write, paint, draw, photograph, film, style etc

Make time for the thing that you’re interested in whatever it may be. Use the time you have to practice and experiment, try something that will challenge you.

When you’re just starting out creatively you’ll often find yourself drawn to following what has worked in the past or simply mimicking something you’ve seen.

But the best work will always come from within. However, you have to work your creative muscle to find it.

I’m learning that a big part of that is being vulnerable.

Being a vulnerable writer

It turns out I’ve been hiding.

I’ve been hiding from the kind of writing that challenges me. I used to think that that meant being more personal and baring my soul.

But I was wrong.

I think there is beauty in being able to write something that not only moves the reader but also the writer.

Not the painful, tortured writer but instead the kind of writing with feeling behind it instead of just words.

It’s hard to find the time to push myself with what I share on The Daily Gemm in-between everything I have going on (and everything I distract myself with). And sometimes I allow myself to be bare minimum because I know I can get away with it.

But I read something beautiful this morning and it moved me. It made me remember just what I love about writing. It got me thinking about how I used to write and how I haven’t pushed myself to explore my writing enough.

I don’t even remember the last time I just sat and wrote without thinking about what I would do with it once it was finished.

I haven’t written a poem in months.

I daydreamed about writing these personal essays about my life yet I rarely write more than a couple hundred words at a time and never get round to even planning the essays.

I’ve been hiding and I didn’t even know it.

The art of the gift

Currently reading linchpin by Seth Godin and learning a whole lot.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the art of gift giving lately. Not in terms of a birthday or Christmas gifts but in daily life.

The small or grand acts of generosity like saying good morning with a genuine smile or offering to help someone without expecting anything in return.

Those acts of generosity brighten people’s day, make them feel seen and are often easy to do.

I’m certain that you would have been on the receiving end of an act of generosity at some point in your life or maybe you’re the giver.

Despite these acts often being easy to do, how many times have you missed or overlooked the opportunity to give.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our own worlds and our stuff that we can’t even see the opportunity we have to make an offering in the world.

But when you do stop and choose to give not out of obligation or expectation but just because, that right there is the art of the gift.

Stained glass and summer projects

I saw this building just over 6 months ago. It had this geometric stained glass exterior and sort of appeared timeless not quite contemporary but also so for from its concrete covered counterparts from decades gone by.

I wanted to capture it and then I got thinking about all the other buildings I’ve seen that have caught my eye. So what if I decided to capture them all, what would I do with them?

An Instagram account doesn’t feel like the right thing. I like the idea of putting them in a physical album or possibly framing some on the walls of my home.

In terms of putting the images out there I could create a site, some sort of dedication to the things that catch my eye, an online portfolio with a catchy name.

That might be my project for the summer.