One year ago I completed some work after a total dry spell through the first lockdown. It had been so hard watching other artists I know making huge amounts of new work with the time and space they had to create, when my inspiration was completely dry the whole time. I felt like I wasn’t a real artist, because surely a real artist would respond to the enormity of the pandemic with ART.
I’m so hard on myself at these times.
In the end, after lockdown had lifted somewhat, I grabbed some same sized pieces of cardboard from one of our early pantry deliveries, slapped some white acrylic gesso on them and then poured out some of the thoughts I’d had through lockdown onto brown paper, tore it up and collaged, drew and painted onto the card in red and black.
I called them ‘letters from limbo’.
I left all but one of the pieces in the park I walked in near work through lockdown, for people to find accidentally. I didn’t ever hear back from anyone picking them up so who knows what happened to them. I hope they gave some folks something interesting to find as they emerged from their own isolation.
These pieces seemed to release something for me - something that honestly had been there since before lockdown and before the pandemic. I haven’t stopped creating since.
If you’re stuck creatively it’s OK, things are building and forming inside you. When you’re ready to let them out, just grab some materials and start.
I believe in you.
If you enjoyed this post, please hit the ‘follow’ button and check out my extras - thanks for reading!
.