Here's a little sneak peek at one of my plates. My art group talked me into showing with them in September. I was prepared to drop out fearing I wouldn't have the work finished. So far I only have two plates or mandalas(another word for what they are). Actually, they aren't finished because I was going to glaze them. But now after showing them to my group and discussing it I may just leave them unglazed. If anything I'll add a touch of color to them some other way - acrylics, metallic powder?
I have one more to be fired. I may make more ????? The goal for the show was to have 12. I know already that to achieve that goal I'd have to sacrifice other things in my life and I'm unwilling to do that. Yet what I have is two.
The group was very supportive. They said why don't you show those two (and reminded me to be open to the possibility I could still make more). They even had very good reasons for why it would be alright to show them as they were - unglazed. I said okay in a very unsure of myself way. But I have been settling into the idea of it. More and more I like the idea of leaving the clay - just as it is - it has mica in it so it sparkles and glaze would begin to mask it.
This turn got me thinking about being closed. I had worked myself into a place where I was allowing fear - mostly my fear of creating close me off. I was blinded and could not see what I already had created by all the ideas of what I thought it all should be. Oh those shoulds are a killer.
Which leads me to another thought - one which coincides with Freedom from Self Improvement - I'm inspired to live a life that isn't about shoulds. Too often I feel I should be doing something other than what I am doing. What a joy killer. It's time to stop "shoulding" on myself. Perhaps, before September I'll make more pieces - who knows what might happen when one removes all the shoulds.........
