An artist friend of mine and I were talking the other day about the subject of inspiration. Namely, we were talking about how many people seem to be lacking in this department. Huh... I haven't thought about it in a long time.
When I was a teenager I was classically trained as a metalsmith, including jewelry techniques such as stone setting, casting, and enameling. At fifteen, I was determined to become a world famous artist by my mid twenties, and by sixteen, I won a national art award honoring me as one of the top 15 young metalsmiths in the country. Most people would have seen that as an affirmation that they were on the right track, but instead, I got disenchanted with "art for the sake of pleasing others," and after a few more jaded years, basically quit altogether.
I don't think about it much, even though almost all of my friends are artists, in some form or another. There are times that I have an idea for a project, or a piece I'd like to produce. Sometimes these are installations, sculptures, or other times, they are smaller pieces that might fall under the category of craft, rather than fine art. And I think that was a great deal of my struggle all along.
Did I want to create work that made people think? Or did I want to create 'pretty pieces' to sit on a shelf in someone's china cabinet? I guess it depended on each project, and my intentions for that piece to come to fruition. But when I step back and look at it on the whole, I see that even though I may have stepped out of the visual art/artisan craft arena, I still create – and there are times that I am still ignited by a driving source of inspiration.
And that's what I seek out in other people: the fire, the passion. I don't believe that all passionate people are artists (at least not in the most literal sense), and I certainly don't believe that all artists are passionate (um, hello, Thomas Kinkade!). I do, however, think that passion and fiery desire are incredible motivational tools to help us break from the monotony of coasting through mediocrity. No, not all passion can be sustained, but it doesn't need to be. It can be that launching pad, that catalyst for us to begin anew, and redefine ourselves in an exciting new direction.
I think my fire sort of went out for a while. The past few years after a bad break up from a far too intense relationship left me somewhat winded and exhausted. I have spent much of my time alone, tip toeing around the big issues, while I navigated through the smaller ones. Having had this conversation about passion reminded me to rekindle my own flame (yes, I am a big flamer now), and see what sparks may fly.
(My friend Melanie calculated my astrological chart several years ago, to find that like 7 of the planets in my chart fall on fire signs – mostly Sagittarius, which is also my sun sign. Hot damn! So, when I say fiery, I mean fiery!)
We all need a little time to heal, dust ourselves off, and reconvene. Now that I gotten that out of the way, I think I am finally ready to get back in the game, and see if I've still got game. (wah wah wah...)
I'm feeling inspired, and happy to find that a little thing like passion can be all the hope we need for a new chance at life. Let the games begin! Smell the moment! Er, wait~
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