The Creative Process

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself as right-brained as the next artist, but I definitely have a side of me that is completely left-brained and really enjoys planning. The dry erase calendar that hangs in my studio is just one example. I know you can't really read it, (maybe that's a good thing?) but surely the sticky notes and all those scribblings must be a clue into how much I like having a timeline. That big list in the middle is my month-to-month goal-line; what I hope to accomplish each month in order to do something momentous (at least for me) in May.
But what I've realized over the last couple of days as I've worked on various projects is that I very much relish the process of creating something. The entire frenzied buzz that can build up in my head is almost addictive. My favorite part of the process is when I have an idea, but still need to figure out what shape it's going to take, and how to build it; the sketching step.

I so enjoy this part of the process, I now have three separate sketchbooks devoted to different types of creations. In the pic above you can see I've made use of as much space as possible in sketching out the details of a mobile I hope to make for my son in what I consider my crafting book. The left page has the general shape and construction and theme, the right page has mini drawings as well as a count of my materials.

I'm not sure what it is exactly that causes me to enjoy so much this step of creating something. Goodness knows how fleeting getting an idea can be, as well as how difficult it can be trying to come up with one. Most people probably find real satisfaction out of an idea coming to fruition, but there have been so many times when the final product is a let down compared to what is in my head. (I think part of this is I have yet to find a style that "fits" where I think I need to be.)

I think, as I've stated over at my blog, it's because I so enjoy the possibilities. What could be, what will be, how will it change? Will it be as fantastic as I imagine or will it fall short? Will I manage to blow myself away or be disappointed once again? In other words, it gives me something to strive for, and after all isn't that what this whole artist schtick is about?