The Magic of Making Mistakes

Bad things that mean nothing.

I loved this video (embedded below) by New Yorker Magazine about Liana Finck. Not only did it make me miss New York, but the part were she takes two hours to create bad drawings really stood out for me.

Lately I’ve been seeing (in myself and others) an all or nothing mindset when it comes to creativity, and life choices in general. Like we have to do things perfectly the first go-around or it’s a waste of time. We often forget how important process is. And mistakes are part of the process.

Doing things terribly. Trying things out. Having to make changes. Losing investments. Looking foolish. Not getting the results we were hoping for. Things not working out. Failure to meet expectations. Feeling silly. Experiencing regret. Of course all of that is hard to accept. But how will you grow and evolve if you aren’t willing to be uncomfortable?

I’ve mentioned this before, but I erased an entire website that I created because ONE PERSON (that I respected) criticized it. I felt like I had failed and I deleted the whole thing. Which was not a good idea. I really wish that I could have let that work live and allowed myself to be vulnerable and publicly (or even privately) evolve. I wish that I wasn’t so hasty and reactive, and would have accepted the creative process and continued to explore ideas without the self-imposed pressure of having to be perfect.

Another example is in my personal life. I left New York and moved to North Carolina, then Oregon, then California. All of those moves were a huge risk that came with a hefty price. I invested so much time, money and effort. It was emotionally, mentally and physically super-taxing.

Looking back, the loud voice in me says, “Oh f*ck! What did you do? Ugh. What a loss.” But there is a softer, wiser, all-seeing voice that whispers, “What if those mistakes were exactly what you needed for your highest evolution? What if they lead to something amazing, beyond your current understanding? Everything is fine. Keep going. Don’t be afraid to get banged up a little.”

Just like any vehicle, this body is not forever. My life is my greatest adventure and greatest work of art. I don’t want to waste it by playing safe. I have to remind myself of that, over and over. I constantly need reminders.

I’m so grateful for the experiences I had this week that reinforced the idea that stepping into the Unknown is worth it. Looking silly is worth it. Losing money is worth it. Wasting time is worth it. Following your curiosity is worth it. Allowing yourself to be childlike is worth it. Doing bad things and making mistakes is worth it.

It’s all part of the creative process.

:)

Richard Haines: What I Saw Today

Robert Therrien: Sense of Wonder

I just found out that artist Robert Therrien passed away this year. I’m so grateful that his work lives on. It reminds me to live with a sense of wonder and appreciation. –Thank you, Robert! ♥ Thank you for sharing your unique talent and magnificent perspective.

James Turrell: To Be Light

There is a reason why so many people are “borrowing” the style of James Turrell’s artwork. …It’s amazing.

“My work is more about your seeing than it is about my seeing, although it is a product of my seeing. I’m also interested in the sense of presence of space; that is space where you feel a presence, almost an entity — that physical feeling and power that space can give.”

“I always wanted to make a light that looks like the light you see in your dream. Because the way that light infuses the dream, the way the atmosphere is colored, the way light rains off people with auras and things like that…We don’t normally see light like that. But we all know it. So this is no unfamiliar territory – or not unfamiliar light. I like to have this kind of light that reminds us of this other place we know.”

“My work is about your seeing. There is a rich tradition in painting of work about light, but it is not light — it is the record of seeing. My material is light, and it is responsive to your seeing.”

“My work has no object, no image and no focus. With no object, no image and no focus, what are you looking at? You are looking at you looking. What is important to me is to create an experience of wordless thought.”

“My works are about light in the sense that light is present and there; the work is made of light. It’s not about light or a record of it, but it is light. Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself revelation.”

“We live within this reality we create, and we’re quite unaware of how we create the reality. So the work is often a general koan into how we go about forming this world in which we live, in particular with seeing.”

All quotes by James Turrell

The Art of Kazuo Shiraga

I can not remember that last time I was deeply moved by a painter’s work. This week I dug into the work of Japanese artist Kazuo Shiraga — known for using his entire body to manipulate his medium (typically oil paint or mud). He explored the relationship between body and material over the course of his career, creating large-scale foot paintings well into his eighties. I swoon over his black paintings on white paper. I just love the thickness of the paint, the bold strokes, and the way work represents the Unknown with such presence and aliveness. It emotes. Without words it gives form and context to that which is unspeakable. I feel the same way about Philip Glass’ work. I adore it for that same reason.

The Work of Hilda Palafox

All art by Hilda Palafox. Follow her on Instagram: @poni

The Generosity of Morgan Harper Nichols

From the Instagram account of @morganharpernichols