Story's End
Creatives need fellow creatives as their cheerleaders - without them, they wither on the vine.
I had a long chat with my former fellow collaborator aka Mr Tai Chi whose various art projects I've worked on over the years. He asked me how my writing's going. Funny how he leaves gaps in the conversation, listening without criticism, but also not interrupting. Funny then, when you fall over excuse over excuse - anything to fill that silence and in doing so, he's more or less called you out.
I get in my own way, I said. I have so many ideas, so many projects that I'm lost in the forest. Blah...blah blah blah..but still...excuses.
Feeling a bit fed up, I resurrected work from May time, to find I had done more work on it than I had remembered and I think that's got the ball rolling again.
I text him today: OK, you've made me write again. I received a 🙂 in return.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I spent Friday with my sister (fellow creative in mixed media), where we walked round her local town, which had been dying on its feet, but is now rejuvenated by crafts people setting up makers' collectives in newly-renovated shops. Before anyone can yell 'gentrification', it hasn't been overtaken by hipsters with overpriced coffee. More, there are cottage industries of crafters with products from 'home spun skills' i.e. sewing, woodwork, knitting, metalwork etc. Even small scale crafters now have a certain value in the economy.
She also asked me what I needed to feel like I wasn't "in a waiting room, waiting to die" (this was a previous quote by aforementioned cherished friend who said he absolutely understood how I felt re stagnation). Spontaneously, I said make worlds (lick, stick, paint, glue), photograph them, write about them. Ta-da! She's set me a goal. See how far I've got in a week. Huh, I thought - deadlines.
🙄
Magically, I suddenly felt the call of The Range stationary section and bought gel pens & art studio matchboxes. I have a feeling I might need a glue gun, too, though I am unsure where this is going to take me. I have tiny craft items (among them, silver scissors and the head of a bunny) no bigger than my thumbnail. They look like they could belong to fae and their kin. Or the demon barber in a very dark and hitherto unknown version of a Beatrix Potter tale. Peter Rabbit's Gone Rogue.
I might just have to look at a miniaturist site and get a grip on stuff. Or totally lose grip, who knows?
One thing is for sure: I'm not "in a waiting room, waiting to die" anymore 😁