Arts
In my conversations with the creative community lately, I've become so inspired by the stories that are shared, especially on the topic of growth and identity. For so many of us, we get used to a certain version of ourselves, and then one day the shoe no longer fits. This isn't exclusive to art, but it certainly applies to any creative medium, because that's when it no longer feels 'creative' and instead feels more 'comfortable.' I used to love figure drawing. It was how I used to bond with my grandmother growing up. She was once a costume designer during the Federal Theater project days in New York, and I admired her intensely. So much so, that I wanted her advice on every figure I drew along with the costume I had created for it. She would just look at me over her nose, with a furrowed brow and say 'how would you cut it?' and would walk away. She never explained what that meant, but I kept working at it for years, and she became more willing to share what she knew. I never truly mastered figure drawing, but it was important to me for a long time. These days, I still feel the old habits of starting to draw figures, but I don't feel the same connection that I once did. The shoe just hasn't been fitting. It's hard to find a new way to draw. It's also hard to try to Podcast. Sometimes the emotional attachments that we have to old things hold us back from finding our new selves. As young people, we are so comfortable trying and discovering new things. I think it has to do with the mix of our brain development, being in environments that foster learning, and having an excessive amount of free time! We may lose those some of those advatages as we grow older, but it doesn't mean that learning and growth stops. Between juggling jobs, homes, relationships, and kids, we get so damn tired! But as the sayings go, just because something isn't easy, doesn't mean it's not worth doing. I can say that even though I never expected to like building a website, or figuring out equipment, I'm discovering a whole new version of myself that I never knew was there. How about you? Do your shoes fit?