Oh it feels so good today -- to finally be back in the everyday routine! I am a creature of habit, to a fault. I fair best in a daily routine of predictability -- it allows my mind to relax and my nerves to still, and I create better work, and more work, in the studio. Chaos and stress simply shut me down and make me miserable. This is why, I freely admit, this time of year has a undertone of unpleasantness for me, even though I try to drown it out with eggnog and Christmas cookies. While there are elements I welcome, of course, I find much of it to be a jarring jolt to my nice Hobbit-like existence.Now some may think my life is boring, but I disagree -- a life spent creating in a happy studio is anything but boring! I maintain there are more thrills and euphoria in creative discovery and achievement than anything found with a parachute or ticket! There's also mounting evidence that "happy hormones" are triggered during the creative process, ultimately creating a positive feedback loop -- the more the brain becomes "crystalized" for creativity, the more these hormones are produced and are released. The downside is, however, that the less it creates (for whatever reason), the more...how shall we say?..."perturbed" it becomes. This is perhaps why myself (and many of my arty friends) become more "difficult" (as politely euphemized by hubby and family members) when I'm prohibited from full mental immersion in the studio on a regular and undisturbed basis. In a sense, I'm a creative junkie denied her fix, and the longer I'm forced to go without it, the more "difficult" I become. Aptly at this year's Mayhem, Lesli Kathman presented us with t-shirts that pretty much sum up the attitude of our loved ones when we're too long kept from our creative impulses (above). Bingo.
Likewise, a common trait I've found with all folks with creativity in their blood is a natural need to create -- it's as automatic and essential as breathing. While this often is an odd concept to non-creative types, its inherent wisdom to arty brains, just like the natural instinct to run from things with big claws and teeth. It's automatic. The only retirement for an artist is death.
Anyway, in the want to create happy mutual vibes, here are some of my favorite things lately I'd like to share when you have a spare moment -- happy exploring!
www.zooborns.com (From Joan Berkwitz -- that baby beluga and those baby hippos kill me. And OMGosh -- the turtle and aardvark! The giraffes!)
http://www.cuteoverload.com/ (From Lesli Kathman -- check out the Pocket Pets!)
http://www.mincingmockingbird.com/ (From Melissa Gaulding and Tara Cobbs -- I wish I could turn this guy's sardonic, but endearing, work into wallpaper for my house.)
http://www.opacity.us/ (From Joan, again -- I have a love for old abandoned places -- poignant, serene and still.)
"Go placidly amidst the noise and haste? -- Oh I don't think so!" ~ Crow T. Robot