On January 1, 2017, I chose CURIOSITY as my word for the year.
Like each year since 2014, I didn't know where the ideas
surrounding my chosen word would take me, but somehow I
knew it was the right time.
surrounding my chosen word would take me, but somehow I
knew it was the right time.
Later in January, I made this list:
What grows my curiosity?
- Making time to think, and space to practice and play.
- Taking on new challenges.
- Reading and intensely observing, and then thinking about it.
- Wondering 'what if', and not worrying about the results.
- Writing down my thoughts, reactions, questions.
- Sketching thoughts, reactions, questions.
- Listening to inquisitive, curious people.
- Sharing ideas with people who really listen.
- Trying something new, or something old in a new way.
- Asking big and little questions, and then allowing time to ponder them.
- Making connections, and then making more.
- Repeatedly following those fascinations that keep me wondering.
- Me.
Now, with a few weeks left of December, I am looking back at
this year, a pretty great year for my own creative productivity.
Keeping curiosity alive is essential to staying motivated as an
artist. When you are curious about something, it isn't about
following a goal or plans, as much as it is needing to find out
what is around the bend, and then the next bend, and the next.
this year, a pretty great year for my own creative productivity.
Keeping curiosity alive is essential to staying motivated as an
artist. When you are curious about something, it isn't about
following a goal or plans, as much as it is needing to find out
what is around the bend, and then the next bend, and the next.
This mystery keeps you moving: through the tamarack swamp,
across the highway, through untouched pine woods, into a tiny
town on the edge of a lake inhabited by amazingly self-sufficient
people, onto a highway that follows the continental divide, onto another highway that crosses a mighty river and leads to a large
city of many bridges, that lead to parks and small boutiques owned
by brilliant small business owners, and onto large box stores with
great discounts in the suburbs next to more lakes, and then back
home on top of a gravel vein on the edge of rocky fields and thick woods, where the exploration doesn't stop. It has just begun!
across the highway, through untouched pine woods, into a tiny
town on the edge of a lake inhabited by amazingly self-sufficient
people, onto a highway that follows the continental divide, onto another highway that crosses a mighty river and leads to a large
city of many bridges, that lead to parks and small boutiques owned
by brilliant small business owners, and onto large box stores with
great discounts in the suburbs next to more lakes, and then back
home on top of a gravel vein on the edge of rocky fields and thick woods, where the exploration doesn't stop. It has just begun!
Home is a place of rest, and work, family and safety, but this year
keeping curiosity alive at home was the gift of 2017 for me. I love
to travel, and often wish we could more often, but maybe I am maturing into not only being curious and engaged in novel
places. Everything is novel, even repetitive patterns. This, too,
was a year of designing patterns and then getting them printed
onto fabrics and wallpaper, unexpected discoveries that kept me wondering what was around the next bend.
keeping curiosity alive at home was the gift of 2017 for me. I love
to travel, and often wish we could more often, but maybe I am maturing into not only being curious and engaged in novel
places. Everything is novel, even repetitive patterns. This, too,
was a year of designing patterns and then getting them printed
onto fabrics and wallpaper, unexpected discoveries that kept me wondering what was around the next bend.
Also, this year I gave a presentation with my photographer
friend Laura Grisamore, entitled Curiosity Cured the Cat at the
Art Educators of Minnesota Conference in November. In that
presentation, we shared our creative processes, and talked about
the healing power of staying playful and curious. In that
presentation I talked a little about the gift of giving yourself
challenges, like my Curiosity Journal Challenge. We simply have
friend Laura Grisamore, entitled Curiosity Cured the Cat at the
Art Educators of Minnesota Conference in November. In that
presentation, we shared our creative processes, and talked about
the healing power of staying playful and curious. In that
presentation I talked a little about the gift of giving yourself
challenges, like my Curiosity Journal Challenge. We simply have
to prescribe our own curious questions. We need to keep asking,
"What if" and "I wonder." We need to keep saying, "I have
always wanted to," and then give ourselves the permission to
do those things.
"What if" and "I wonder." We need to keep saying, "I have
always wanted to," and then give ourselves the permission to
do those things.
So, thank you 2017, you had many challenges, and you were
a gift. Thank you to my family and friends. I was thinking about
all of you when I said this at the the THRESH. HOLD. exhibit
opening. "Life is beautiful. Then, messy. Then, beautiful. We cannot
be so afraid of the next mess that we don't appreciate the beauty, now.
Art is my response to the mess, and to the beauty."
a gift. Thank you to my family and friends. I was thinking about
all of you when I said this at the the THRESH. HOLD. exhibit
opening. "Life is beautiful. Then, messy. Then, beautiful. We cannot
be so afraid of the next mess that we don't appreciate the beauty, now.
Art is my response to the mess, and to the beauty."
Stay curious.
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