Sometimes, I see a corner of my house with new eyes. Alright. I’ll be honest. This happens more than only sometimes. The result can be a one-minute fix. For instance, recently, a small wooden chest on top of a bookshelf was brought down to make an accent under a living room chair instead.

The same changing perspective applies to my artwork. In this case, it usually first shows up as a sort of artist’s block. I’ll make an item the same way over and over until some day I stop making it, even though it sells well. Something about the process simply no longer flows. It is as though I can no longer look at my creation at that point and recognize it.

When I was much younger, this sort of shift would cause discomfort that led me to abandon projects entirely. Now, it leads to a waiting period to allow inspiration to build, until one day I see how I can transform a design, give it new expression, re-invent it, and re-discover it in the process.

At this point, I can hardly resist. I need to see the outcome of the new vision. I see my work evolve over time. I do not mean this in the sense that I think I am creating great art. That is a matter of taste I suppose. What I mean is that I see a progression in my style, a sort of personal evolution. It informs me that I am on the right path, the one that comes from my own heart and imagination.

I stopped and stared at my raven boxes, at Ornament Studio, day after day, for a long while, until I saw the next step in my mind and could not hold back from giving it shape. I transformed the boxes and now am left with two ravens in need of a new perch… and I can almost see it in my mind’s eye. Ho! And the flower brooch fits in perfectly. Just a hint for a combo gift idea.

Boxes

We put a lot of our personal energy in whatever we create with our hands or voices. In those moments, when we feel absorbed by the process in a new way, because we are fulfilling a new vision, this is perhaps the time when we put our best energy forward. It is so satisfying. The object we create is reborn and seems to shine brighter than anything else created before. Perhaps we are reborn as well in such moments.

There is, of course, no end to this. We can recreate ourselves and our work over and over. There are no rules about what it is supposed to look like in the end, yet we know when we have reached the precise next step or next expression. It feels like a stepping stone. It elevates us.

$20, at Ornament Studio.