Thursday, April 14, 2022

Thursday Thoughts...

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.” 

Wendell Berry

I imagine this quote is equally apt for a pondering upon life; but for me it also speaks to art and the creative life, the maker's life.

For each of us as we begin and go along, we sometimes think we know who we are and what we are doing.  I am a watercolour painter. I am a ceramist. I am a calligrapher. For me, the gradual realisation that perhaps who I was in an artistic way; and what I making as a creative person had changed over time led me to think about myself more as a maker with words.

It seems to me that those points when we stop and pause and consider who are we? and what are we doing? are pretty important.  When we are no longer certain or clear, or have an inkling that something else might be going on, we are forced to stop and examine things.  And from the questioning and the wondering can come the real steps forward. As artists and makers and creators.

And as Wendell Berry implies, from here we may come to our real work; and begin our real journey.



2 comments:

  1. "inkling" made me smile ... and I love how these letters shape shift, appearing to rise above the the surface of the stone, even as I know they are cut into it ... was this from your stone cutting class several years ago?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such a fabulous word isn’t it? It definitely makes me smile too. The shape shifting that o at carved lettering is a fascination for me - I know which way it reads but my eyes change things! And yes, from our letter cutting in stone workshop on another Scottish visit…go well.

      Delete

I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.