Being Human: You Can Always Change Your Mind

As you know, I've kind of given up the "creative" process for a while.  First is was one thing, then knee surgery, then I got sick and went to the hospital, then. . . I just looked and felt like shit.  The first thing, the one that caused me to lose interest in what I had been doing, seems to have dissipated.  My knee is still in recovery, but it does not limit my creative life too much.  And the sickness has caused me to adopt a cleaner, healthier diet.  I still look like shit, but one can either live with that or jump off a bridge, and that all depends on what one wants out of life.  The nice part of being human is that you can always change your mind.  It is an important thing to be consciously aware of.  Some change their minds capriciously and without full awareness.  I was aware when I changed my mind in the beginning, and I am aware of changing again.  This is not flip-flopping.  That is for politicians.  No, no. . . this is a conscious evolution as I move closer to the minds of the gods.  Ha!  It is a good neighborhood there close to the heavens. 

Needless preamble, that. 

For the past two days, I've been working on "creative" projects again.  I did some experiments with the transfer process on Sunday and spent yesterday afternoon and evening working on a new (for me) encaustic process.  I hadn't worked with wax for over a year, I think.  I'd forgotten or at least become unsure of some of the steps.  Fortunately my buddy the encaustic artist was in the studio and I had to borrow a tool from him as my studio is a mess and I couldn't find mine.  He came over to chat and answer some questions, then he brought over a board and began to wax it along with me.  It was the best way for me to get back to a good technique.  He stayed on and watched me work on an image.  He has been in a creative funk himself, and I have been encouraging him to just do something stupid. The problem with having had some success with one thing for awhile is that you get to be afraid to do something else because it might be jejune.  The thing is just to do the stupid thing for it might give you an idea for something else.  He agreed. 

My little piece is not finished, but it is fantastic so far.  And plain as this one really is, it has given me multiple ideas for something more.  What I've done looks like a fresco in wax, I think.  It is palimpsestic in nature, too.  There is something undeniable about the physicality of it, of doing it, that feels so good.  All of it is done outside on the little loading dock behind my studio and it is just a matter of moving a few things indoors and cleaning up a bit to lock and leave.  It is a reason to love having the studio. 

Today, more waxing, more transferring, and maybe a bit of simple collaging for inspiration, too.  Perhaps I am ready for the new year.