Carmi over at Written Inc. was talking about creative cycles this morning and it got me to thinking. Well, actually it hit me over the head and said, "You must expound on this topic." Because really, I've been meaning to do a post on this very thing for years a very long time.
I guess it starts with college. I was an art major so my creativity was being tapped on a regular basis. Once I got out of school I got a job in a creative field. Well, it took a while but it did happen. Then, about 11 years ago I left that job to spend more time with my oldest. I worked with kids and used quite a bit of creativity dealing with them. Plus, I was in a baby fog of love. I was totally in love with my offspring and busy and my god! pregnant by the time he was a year. So busy.
By the time I was pregnant with my third though I was getting the creative itch. So began the scrapbooking. And the writing. I continued with this for a few years and then replaced the scrapbooking with card making because good lord, who has time to scrapbook with 4 kids 5 and under? Cards took less time and you had something you could give away. Fun.
About a year later I was done with cards. Burned out if you will. So I started with the jewelry. And that meant I had gifts for holidays. Bonus! But again, a year later I was burned out.
Then came the web design, marketing my photography and always the writing.
Last year I quit the writing. This year I quit the photography. I write here for myself and photograph when the mood strikes but no more marketing myself. I hate it and it was going nowhere.
The web design has been resurrected for my job and knitting is my new creative outlet at home.
So, what causes this? I have no idea. It may have something to do with the way my brain works. It may just be the way some people are. It's not to say I never make cards or design jewelry but I do them for a specific purpose now. Not just to do them.
As for the scrapbooking... well, let's just say Zach still has no photo album and no baby book. I know. I'm a terrible mom.
But my soon-to-be nephew? He totally has a pair of booties and a new hat!
Ack! This is getting long and not very interesting so I shall go and (I'd like to say knit) clean some more of my house. I'll tell you more about my brain later.
To make this more interesting, I'd like you to tell me what your creative cycles are like. Do you stick to one thing? Do you switch it up? How often? What is your creative passion(s)?
3 comments:
Personally, I tend to cycle through the same hobbies over and over again. It starts with the piano (which is my first love), then some sort of hand-craft (sometimes cross-stitch, sometimes knitting), then digi-scrapping (because I suck at regular scrapbooking). Then I start over again. LOL. I think it's natural. After all, a hobby wouldn't be very fun if we did it all the time would it? No. It would be a job. =P
I hear we're supposed to do something with all those pictures I took and scrapbooking supplies I bought..hmmm..
I'm a knitter, I'm a reader, I like to take pictures and I like to write...they all intermix with the lead hobby always changing. Right now it's the knitting - possibly because the freelance writing is sucking all of the creativitiy for writing out of my soul.
I loved this entry - and thank you for following up on the entry on my blog...keeping the cycle going.
Your journey is proof positive that artistry is a never-ending, constantly-changing process. Thanks for validating so concretely what I was feeling when I first posted my thoughts on this topic. Wonderful stuff!
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