Get lost in that which inspires

CHERRIL DOTY

‘Much of life becomes background, but it is the province of art to

throw buckets of light into the shadows and make life new again.’

-- DIANE ACKERMAN

June is now in its final week. The “gloom” is trying to lift. The

birds in the canyon are almost driven to silence by the din of saws

and pounding hammers. Voices and music sound through the grove of

stately eucalyptus trees that is home to the Sawdust Art Festival. It

is that time of year again and artists are once more putting up the

structures that will house their art for the next nine weeks. It is

summertime in Laguna Beach!

While painting my booth the color of blue that Glidden calls

“Windswept,” I found I became lost in the sky-blue color and in the

texture of the walls. I could have been floating in the clouds. Blue

became everything. As I rolled the paint on I was completely

mesmerized and nothing else seemed to matter; nothing else was. It

occurs to me that this is what the process of creating is all about

for many, if not most, of us.

In recent weeks a seemingly inordinate number of artists have

spoken to me of not being ready, not being inspired to create, and

therefore not having the art they would have hoped for this show. I

may have muttered some inane responses to their remarks, not wanting

to interfere, but now I find myself wondering if they are just not

lost enough. Losing ego and self in the process of creating and just

diving in is such a wonderful experience. It is, as Agnes DeMille

once said, “ ... not knowing what next or how ... the artist never

entirely knows. We guess ... but we take leap after leap in the

dark.”

It is those leaps that the eager child part of us takes into the

world of creating. This is the part that laughs and sings and sees

everything with awestruck wonder as if never seen before. This is the

part of us that does things -- even foolish things at times -- with

enthusiasm, eager to feel, to hear, to see, to smell, to touch, to

experience with all of the senses. It is about losing control. Often,

our adult parts find this hard. I was thrilled to find that child

part of me when lost in the blue. I always like when she comes out to

play.

The child-creative sees everything as amazing. No one thing is

more or less important than another. Boundaries don’t exist. The

edges get explored and then pushed beyond. Because, as the

child-creative says, “Why not?” When you can feel the wind on your

face, you are ready to take the leap. When you touch the rose petals

and marvel not only at the rich variety of colors found there, but at

the very different texture of each one, you are poised for the jump.

When you are in full awareness of a plethora of aromas -- the musky

sweet smell of purple sage, the lemon that causes your saliva to flow

by its mere mention, the yeasty odor of baking bread -- the time to

vault is at hand.

The world of the senses truly is amazing. Because we like being

disturbed by delight, the stirring up of the senses enlivens our

quiet lives, wakes up the child-creative, lets light pour in and on

our art. When awakened and disturbed in this way, we are also most

alive, and out of that aliveness the art is created.

Right now, if I were to enter into another of those conversations

about being ready, about being inspired, I would have to say to the

artist they should take one of those leaps. Or several. Become

absorbed in and by a color or a strong piece of music or baking bread

or a cleaning job or a room full of colorful fabrics. Let the thing

that absorbs you take over and see where it leads. The world is

simply throbbing with rich treasures to waken the creative self

within. Just leap ... and leap again!

* CHERRIL DOTY is a creative-living coach, writer, artist, walker

and leaper who lives and works in Laguna Beach and believes in

amazing and remarkable things. To schedule a coaching session or to

comment, contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at

(949) 251-3993.