. . .we make meaning in life.
I’ve said that for years, and it came from an understanding I had about my creative work. For years I had been searching for meaning in art. I switched mediums, I sold my work, putting it on sale, all to demonstrate something to myself. That it was good. That my work was valued. Those things may have been true, but it was not satisfying. Oh sure, in a way I was happy for every piece that sold, but I needed more.
Pitt pen on paper, (c) Quinn McDonald 2009
When you sell your art, you balance working deeply with working quickly. The more quickly you work, the better the price per hour. And if a client likes it, that’s all that counts, isn’t it?
It isn’t. Not for the artist who depends on creativity to sustain them through daily life. Selling a piece is the least of it. Many of my clients tell me that a “real artist” is one who doesn’t have a day job, who supports a family (even if that’s the artist and a cat) through art.
Nope. That’s not it. When you are the support of others, the money-need floats to the top. I encourage artists to keep the day job for a while. It frees you to work deeply.
And working deeply is what creativity is about. Working deeply is sinking into your creativity and sitting with it in contemplation. Maybe you produce something, maybe you just become aware and experiment. Working deeply is being in a constant state of evolving, solving, being alive. You don’t have to raise a sweat while doing this. You just have to be alone with your thoughts and your creativity and manage to keep them in balance.
At that moment of creation, we are making meaning. We know what it is to be alive. The heartbeat is inspiration. We know the root of creation, time drops away, and we are more alive than in any other form. We connect to all other creation. At that moment, we know the divine presence. At that moment we share in the power of Creation–making something that wasn’t there before.
We may go in search of a new idea, a solution to a problem, an inspiration. But we don’t really fall over the meaning of life. We don’t accidentally bump into it and recognize it. We create it ourselves. It’s the definition of creativity–making and knowing the meaning of our lives.
–Quinn McDonald is a writer, life- and creativity coach. She teaches communication skills, including writing and giving presentations as well as how to make and use an art journal, even if you can’t draw.
QuinnCreative 