Project : Echoes – 09.17.10

I decided to do things differently this time.  This time my “-ize” actually spotted a pattern that reminded me a little of a piece that I had completed previously. So I thought, with a few tweaks and additions, why not re-invent my drawing into something new and exciting?(for me anyway…I guess they are ALL new to you!) By the way, if you have not figured it out, the inspiration image is the non-slip bath tub surface in Quality Inn where I stayed last weekend.

In her book The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp talks about the fears that paralyze us and keep us from moving forward on a project.  She tries to combat these fears personally by honestly identifying what her fears are.  One of her top five is “Someone has done it before”.  The way she combats this fear is with an internal dialog that says, “Honey, it’s all been done before.  Nothing’s really original.  Not Homer or Shakespeare and certainly not you.  Get over yourself.”

WOW…I’m not sure how I feel about that…I love her work and approach to creativity… but wow. I may not totally agree with that approach; but, though harsh, it does have some merit. Maybe its not that it has all been done before…maybe the impetus to move forward comes from the fact that although it has been done before, it hasn’t been done THIS WAY?? I tend to be motivated by feeling “special” instead of “ordinary.”

I prefer this approach…in a world of pessimists who believe there is nothing “new under the sun”, I find comfort in knowing that this design, with these patterns, in this combination, with these colors, and this configuration, only exist here and nowhere else; just like I am a human being just like everyone else, but I am uniquely ME in everyway.

There is great power in God’s gift of creativity.  This is certainly not meant to exalt myself. Its not that kind of power.  It is the difference between “power” and “empowerment”. I believe “empowerment” involves a certain degree of humility. “Power” is about one’s ability OVER others; “Empowerment” is about each one’s ability. That is how I see it.

It’s about endless possibilities that exist (or, perhaps,  have yet to exist). If we all just find the impetus to explore the possibilities that works for us, we will each, and all, be blessed by the result.

Here are some fun results that came out of the bathtub project!

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