One of the most asked questions when I did bead shows was “How did I create that”, pointing to a bead. So I am thinking… “What a great blog post”! I sat for 30 minutes and thought about the answer and realized that I’m not consciously aware of how I create. It’s kind of like breathing. So…. I sat 30 minutes more, dug deeper & slowly a process started to emerge in my mind.
It may sound strange but for me to create I have to center myself. When I painted, I always mediated before I started to paint. Mediation can be anything that helps you focus your thoughts and relax.
When I painted on location, I was initially always overwhelmed by the beauty of the location (sensory overload?). What I had to do was calm myself and start focusing on the essentials I wanted to express in my painting. I always did a sketch or two to zero in on them.
I find with my glass lampwork beads I do the same process and center myself before I start torching.
The first thing I do is clean my work station. Sounds strange? Well, I have found the mess and clutter is distracting and an over stimuli for my senses. Clearing out the past allows me to focus on the present creation.
Secondly, if I am not excited about creating a certain bead, I have to do some soul searching to find something to be excited about creating. I have snippets of drawings of ideas I want to make into beads, color combinations I want to try, ideas from the internet & photos of flowers I have taken.
And if I do not find something exciting there, I’ve got BOOKS! Books on fish, books on flowers, art books & books on lampworking. As I travel through these ideas, I always find something that excites me.
Thirdly, I work in series, a training learned from my art background. There is so much knowledge and artistic growth gained from doing a series. When I stay focus on one subject and push my boundaries to create another new, exciting and original piece of art from the same subject, brain cells are created! It forces me to change old thought patterns in my brain so that I can think outside my box on creativity.
I have to get out of my comfort zone to do this which is a little scary. We are creatures of habit and it’s so easy to just repeat the same bead, painting or design. But I feel the greatest creative rewards comes from the stretching of our abilities and thinking.
The bottom line is…. we are ALL creators! We were born to create and our greatest joy is in the process of creation. We are the most ALIVE & HAPPY at that moment.
When I am in the middle of creating, there is a zone I enter where I disconnect from the outside world. It is where time stops and I am existing in a magical dance. The flame and I have become one live instrument, creating a glorious birthing of a new life….. my bead. These are illusive moments but so wonderful and sublime that I am always drawn back to the torch to try to recreate these moments.
Repeating the bead will not create the same blissful moment. The joy is in stepping out, embracing the new and unknown, though always unsettling.
What is the SECRET of achieving this? Having Faith that I can venture into the unknown with the BELIEF that I will be able to dance with the flame once again. My FAITH creates the magical dance. It’s the work I do on myself before I start a bead that determines my outcome.
The icing on the cake? Sharing this new birth, my baby, with others is an unbelievable thrill and joy. That is why it is so wonderful to receive your comments about how you love my beads. It’s the sharing that makes life so sweet!
You know what? We are all creators! We are all from source energy but unique because there is only one of each of us. To draw from within and express through your personal viewpoint will make you uncopyable. You will excel when you find your voice and stay true to it!
What makes you the happiest? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!
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Patsy thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us..so true about cleaning the torch bench first and centering yourself. Love Love Love your work!!!
~Wendy
Patsy thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us..so true about cleaning the torch bench first and centering yourself. Love Love Love your work!!!
~Wendy
Hi Wendy! Thanks bunches! You’re doing great things, too!
I get overwhelm when my bench is in confusion. I usually can’t find the glass I’m looking for. And if I am using different types of glass, I have to remove everything from my reach or I will grab something absentmindedly! LOL
Hi Wendy! Thanks bunches! You’re doing great things, too!
I get overwhelm when my bench is in confusion. I usually can’t find the glass I’m looking for. And if I am using different types of glass, I have to remove everything from my reach or I will grab something absentmindedly! LOL