Geri deGruy's blog of art, musings, and inspiration

There are times when the art I am working on doesn't work, or I make a mistake after hours of creation.  Here is a crucial decision point. I'm tempted to stop, give up, throw the whole thing away, tell myself I'm no good, give in to a certain despair about myself and my abilities.  

But after MANY of such mistakes, I've found that this is the point when I can choose real creativity.  This is the place where I can find something new, something different than I'd planned, and perhaps, (and this often happens) something better.  I may have to put the piece down for awhile, wait on the next move, but I can redeem what I've lost and the piece is new, fresher, mine.

Life, for me, has been like this as well.  Losses, sadness, mistakes, sometimes despair.  We all have these experiences.  Decision points. We can choose to die inside, give up, be angry and bitter, slide into depression or apathy.  I have done all of these. 

Or we can get a glimpse of another option, a possibility of change, a hope for a creative detour which might even be better then our original plan. It has taken many years, but I've come to believe that everything, the "good", the "bad", the "lovely", the "ugly"... ALL of it is an opportunity.  All of it gives us a chance to choose a new way,  to clear our vision,  to let go, to move ahead with a different step.   Yes we might need to stop awhile to grieve and rage and deal with ourselves and our feelings and thoughts.  But there's more to be done.  And it's new and fresh and ours.

The Uses of Sorrow

             by Mary Oliver

Someone I loved once gave me

a box full of darkness.

It took me years to understand

that this, too, was a gift.

"Healing"