11.07.07

The Art of Creating

Posted in Uncategorized at 12:40 pm by PaperDesigns

Today’s Challenge~
Is creating “beautiful art” more important than the process of creating?

This is a double edge sword.  Firstly, I’m a big advocate for “just do it” – crafting is therapeutic.  Create for the joy of the process.  Think about the project, design it, add a new twist or technique, and make it something that came from you.  One of the things I really enjoy about the projects that my mom and I accomplish while she is here is that now there is tangible evidence of our working together.  Who would Frank Lloyd Wright be if none of his plans were ever built?  But then, on the other side of the coin, is what good would the time, money, and energy spent be if our built in bookcase were lopsided and crappy?  (My mother is a professional woodworker – so of course the bookcase is perfectly plumb) – but would I create it just for the process? I wouldn’t.  I’m willing to create for the process while learning a new skill or technique, and I accept that my finished project wouldn’t qualify as ‘art’ to anyone.  But, after a while, working, learning, doing, crafting, I do expect my work to be of a quality that I can be proud of. 

I guess for me, the bottom line, though, is that the finished project must resemble “art” to me, and not to any third party critic.  If I didn’t enjoy the process of creating – I wouldn’t do it.  But on the other hand, if I didn’t enjoy the final product – I wouldn’t do it, either.   

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