Ok, so if I tell you you should sign up for a creativity workshop with me at my gallery because I just made a big horse head out of paper and flour, that would be weird, right? But it’s exactly what I’m going to tell you. How else will you have your own hand-crafted horse head to place in the beds of your enemies?
I mean, just look at this thing! Isn’t it a thing of beauty? And potentially something that could scare your enemies to death? Of course I still have to paint it, make it colorful, and then I need to make another one, because I want two horse heads representing the two horses in my mildly haunted historical novel, Storms of Malhado. And yes, this is all a lot of work, my fingers hurt in a funny way, there’s flour on my hardwood floors, and two of my favorite people are coming over for dinner tomorrow night and I better clean up. But the point is: I did it! I made a freaking 3D horse head! And this is something I’ve wanted to do since before the pandemic. In fact, I was clumsily constructing armatures and watching YouTube videos when lockdown started. At that point I temporarily abandoned my horse-related ambitions and concentrated instead on staying alive and upbeat. I used my creativity for what it does best. I used it to entertain myself and others. I was never bored or lonely during lockdown. I wrote a novel I absolutely love, and I did a live painting session each and every day for a small group of people who enjoyed watching that type of thing at that particular point in time. I had fun! What could have been a scary lonely time was filled with art, writing, and connecting with people online.
As to my big horse project, I never really forgot it, and I knew that when the time was right I would keep that promise to myself. I would make a big horse. Because a big part of nurturing one’s creativity is about following through. About keeping promises – but also about knowing when to give yourself a break.
I’ve learned a lot over the past ten years in which making art daily has been my top priority. I’m still learning a lot. For example, I’ve just learned that it was ok to spend a whole summer going to the gym, napping, and eating chicken salad sandwiches. When I finally emerged from my leisurely summer slumber, I was bursting with ideas. New books, big horses, new series of paintings, and lovely fun bubbly workshops to share my creative journey with others! All this came to me because I allowed myself to rest.
Please consider signing up for one of my workshops. If we allow ourselves to play, who knows what kind of magic we might end up creating?
Here are some progress photos on that big horse head. I’m telling you, it wasn’t easy. But it sure was fun!
