Week 13
“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.’
Marc Chagall
Isn’t that the truth!
One of the topics my mentor and I discussed when we first met was the current direction of my work. After looking at a few key older pieces, she suggested that my strengths were quite evident in those and that I might want to rethink the direction I have been going. And then she made an interesting observation – to the effect that, sometimes, we tend not to give value to those things that come naturally or easily to us. Instead, we are inclined to believe that only those things that are difficult to do are worthwhile.
Chagall’s quote speaks to her observation, I think. Creating from one’s strengths is, ultimately, creating from the heart. It’s a piece of what being in the “flow” or in the “zone” is all about, I believe. Whereas, for me at least, when I am thinking too hard and do what I believe I should be doing, it’s all from the head and it can show in the work. The challe
nges are different, too. Working from the heart, they are invigorating, while working from the head, they are often frustrating and discouraging to surmount.
As it is, I tend to think too much by nature anyway. So one aspect of my intent, over the next several weeks, is to play to my strengths. I am taking cues from a piece I did a few years ago and a direction that I had intended to pursue but had detoured from. I am looking forward to the energy that comes when creating from the heart. And I’ll let the head do what it does best – assess the effort.
Thanks for reading!
Lynn
