The Circles of an Artful Life

The subject of today’s musing was the realisation that my life runs in circles. I’m circular in my work, I constantly return to dance, I have tried many other things but repeatedly I come back around to dance, it is where my heart resides and is my true vocation.

At the beginning of the noughties (2000), I embarked on a big sweeping circle, namely my academic phase, studying communications at University, the circle was complete when I returned to the arts to offer this knowledge to artists and creative organisations to assist them to better preserve and grow their enterprises.

I’m circular in my creative arty, crafty endeavours too, I’ll think of an idea, gather materials, start a project and then invariably the project will not get finished and it will sit and sit and sit until finally I will come back to it.

I used to be frustrated by these long waiting periods, annoyed by the everyday stuff that would prevent me from bringing my ideas to fruition. Now I’m much more patient more prepared to wait because I’ve become comfortable with the notion that things will come-to-pass, the time will come for my projects to find their natural way into the world.

Somehow artworks have a life source of their own, they will ‘birth’ when the time is right, with no interference from anyone apart from the creator (me) actually turning up to do the creating. My life is no different, it’s following an extraordinary path I would not have predicted, it has delivered some momentous occasions of perfect synchronicity leading me on to the next phase, some I might say I have not enjoyed, yet these have been the most necessary.

So, may I give some reassurance to other crafters and artists that the time to create won’t allude you forever, try to breathe and hold your ideas close to your heart, they will not wither on the vine, they will still be there when you come ‘full circle’. Do try to journal, just in case you’re forgetful.

I talk with many men and women who seem to spend a great deal of their lives in bitter frustration. Many are blessed with creative talents yet thwarted with difficulties of one nature or another that prevent them from realising any sort of satisfaction in their chosen art form. I believe their lives will ‘circle’ at some time in the future. Patience and persistence are the only two things I see that stand between a successful (or happy, depending on how you look at it) artist and one that gives up! Hang in and do what you love.

The circle of Miss Penny’s life: Dance, knit, crochet, sew, paint, collage, write, photograph, dance, knit, crochet, sew, paint, collage, write, photograph, dance................

And yes, if you are wondering - I have four children and a husband (with a business) and two dogs and three chooks and a job and aging parents and friends and a sore back and blah, blah, blah. I’m probably just like you!