Full Disclosure

In class last Friday, my instructor Craigo said something that really stuck with me.  We were talking about our blogs and Craig mentioned that the intention with this project was to show the REAL creative process, so those outside it can begin to understand.  I think anyone who lives and works in a creative field hears a lot of "you're so lucky, you get to play all day" or "I wish I could still be a kid like you" or my personal favourite "that's so glamorous" (I don't think there's a thing I do that's glamorous.)  There's this idea out there that creative types sleep late, attend posh functions, and the world falls into their lap.  Maybe that's how it would work for Paris Hilton, but not the rest of us.

Now don't get me wrong, I count myself as incredible fortunate to be living in an age and a country where I can study fashion, and textiles and say what I want with my work.  That's an incredible priviledge, and one I am thankful for everyday.  However, that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park.  Making work can be frustrating, disappointing, emotionally and/or physically draining, unbelievably time consuming and incredibly expensive (just to name a few).  It involves heartbreak. 

You know that dream everybody says they have - the one where they're standing in a room full or people, and they realize they're the only one naked?  Well, no matter what the medium or creative industry you work in, that's our reality.  Except we're not just in the room, we're standing on stage, with everyone there already looking directly at us; sometimes we just might have a couple others on stage with us, naked too, but that doesn't make it any less terrifying. 

When you see a finished piece (whether it's a digital logo, a painting, a fiber sculpture, a handmade pot) no where in that are you seeing all the hours that went into research, designing, redesigning, experimenting, troubleshooting, redesigning, more redesigning, finetuning, etc.  You don't see the things that went wrong, before they worked right.  I must say though, when things finally do work right, it is SUCH a satisfying feeling.  It's a total high!

So, in the interest of understanding, I will be bringing you full disclosure into my creative process - all the triumphs, all the heartbreaks (OK, maybe not all, but a nice cross section of them). 

I'd like to once again underline that I'm not complaining anywhere here, this is a lifestyle that I chose, and that I love, and that I don't think I could live fully without.  Nor do I think the creative arts are the only industry that are misunderstood, but they're the world that I know.  I just want to bring you into my world, cause I'm a sharer.  Hope you enjoy!