Synchronicity as a Mixed Media Artist
I have written about working on multiple projects at once, and how I decide which one to work on.
As in most things in life, synchronicity happened!
I recently visited an the Art Gallery where two of my pieces are displayed (ACL Gallery in Livingston, NJ, a great gallery if you are in the area!), and I was speaking to a fellow artist, who agrees that he also has multiple projects happening at once, and whichever speaks to him, that is the one he works on!
I was surrounded by Art of all types…sculpture, art made from postage stamps, glass art, fiber art…and it reminded me that I am not alone…that lots of other artists create and feel creative in and with multiple types of media, and create following our internal creative energy!
Then, that day, when I was practicing my visual journaling, which may or may not have anything to do with art pieces that I am working on, I had a revelation which tied in two or three of my ideas for a new piece! I was so excited for it all to come together in such a way….Synchronicity!
Being surrounded by all of that art in the gallery— the sculptures, the postage stamps transformed into something beautiful, the fiber, the glass — reminded me of something important: there is no single "right" way to be creative.
We spend so much energy wondering if we're doing it correctly. Should I finish one project before starting another? Should I work every day? Should I have a system?
But here's what I've come to believe, both as an artist and as someone who has spent decades sitting with people as they navigate their own inner lives: your creative process is already working, even when it doesn't look the way you think it should.
The sculptor and the collage artist and the fiber artist in that gallery — none of them are doing it the same way. And yet, there it all was. On the walls. In the cases. Undeniably, beautifully made.
So I want to offer you an invitation this week. Notice the way you create. Not the way you think you should, or the way your favorite artist does, but the way that is actually, organically yours. Maybe it's bursts of intensity followed by long quiet stretches. Maybe it's three projects open at once, waiting for one of them to call your name. Maybe it's a ritual, or maybe it's completely unstructured.
Whatever it is — that's not a flaw. That's your process.
The work you make from that place is the only work that could ever truly be yours.
In other news…..
I continue to diligently add products to my print on demand Zazzle store. It’s been fun designing home decor, invitations and all types of products and accessories that people can personalize! I love using my own designs for this…. combining typography with my style of illustration. My latest product line is a collection of invitations and party supplies for a baby shower, pregnancy announcement, and if you can believe it…Christmas ornaments! Please visit my zazzle store to check it out: