Making
Messes
“Creativity
itself doesn't care at all about results—the only thing it craves
is the process. Learn to love the process, and let whatever happens
next happen without fussing too much about it. Work like a monk, or a
mule, or some other representative metaphor for diligence. Love the
work. Destiny will do whatever it wants with you, regardless.”
Elizabeth
Gilbert
I've
said this before, and I'll say it again, creativity is messy. When
you set out to create something, regardless of what it is, you're
going to get messy—messy hands, messy clothes, messy room. When you
work with your hands to create something, you cannot control the
mess, because if you do, you will also be controlling the process.
Creativity is a flowing thing, more like a mountain stream, than a
crater lake. It runs into boulders and splashes over its banks, it
gets muddy and then clear, it foams and stills. You have to let
whatever is going to happen, happen and then worry about the mess.
I
remember Sunday afternoons when I was a child, and my dad would make
potato soup—his single claim to fame in the kitchen. So, you know
I'm sure how to make potato soup—chop ham, or better still use a
nice big meaty ham-bone, chop onions and garlic, and peel and chop
potatoes. Put them into a big stockpot with enough broth to cover and
simmer for a couple of hours. Simple, right? When my dad made potato
soup, he somehow managed to destroy everything in the kitchen—pots
and pans, utensils, counter tops, cutting boards, everything. There
would be food burned onto the stove top, and slippery stuff on the
floor and flung across back-splash tiles. His soup tasted delicious,
but cleaning up behind him was a nightmare. The process was his
joy—and he had my sister and me to clean up, so what the heck!
Trying
to control a creative process makes the creation tight and somewhat
contrived. I admire people who make things that are useful; there's a
real need for that. But there's a difference between making
something from a pattern, and allowing an organic process to take
place out of which something is created. Both are fun, but only one
is inspired. You can feel the difference when you see the two items
side by side. One contains the creative energy of Eros, and one is
nicely made, but doesn't always feel juicy. You know the difference.
When
you set out to create something, do it in a place you don't mind
getting messy. Allow the process to unfold, rather than trying to
force it. Then get to work, invest yourself. Whatever you end up with
may be imperfect, but it will be authentic. It will be an expression
of you. What could be better than that?
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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