I know some people make it through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way with some sort of big project. This is not true for ever, especially for those who abandon the journey or struggle with it. I’m somewhere in between those two experiences, as a small but meaningful project revealed itself to me a few weeks ago. Without confidence in my painting abilities, I leaned into my doubts and decided to give one of my works to the important people surrounding me on my creative journey.
I created a holiday piece – a simple ornament painting, and I took advantage of a Black Friday canvas print sale to get 10 prints of the original made. It was surprisingly easy to photograph the image, upload it to the site and order some decent quality reproductions. Would a pro do it this way? Probably not, but I’m a learning amateur, and I’m thrilled with the results. I even included a self-made certificate of authenticity with sequential numbering. I’m curious what response I’ll get from the various recipients. I know my mother will definitely add it to her holiday decor. Some may let it sit in a box for ages before turning it into landfill art.
I’m okay with both possibilities. I just know that I’m releasing my creativity into the wild like this for the first time and relinquishing control, which has not always come easily to me. Maybe I’ll inspire others to do similar. Perhaps not. In either case I’ve found my own internal inspiration and run with it, so I’m #proudame