…we’re allowed to be passionate about our own creativity. It gave me chills. It brought tears to my eyes. It was an enormous relief, because for years I’ve been unknowingly downplaying my own love of beads and beadwork. I’ve been playing it off as a mere hobby, keeping quiet about it, pretending it’s a shameful secret that nobody really needs to know about, instead of a vital part of my creative life and an increasingly important part of who I am.
I think I needed to hear that even more than I needed help with color values, to be honest.”
I wrote last week’s blog post/newsletter, An Act of Love with Alicia’s words in mind.
Decades ago a collection of my beaded jewelry was featured in a gallery opening. I didn’t tell anyone about it because I thought it wasn’t important. It’s just jewelry, made out of glass beads, and after all, I made it, so how important could it be? If I’d been showing paintings, now that would have been important.
I was raised amid the mind set of artistic chauvinism, believing that creating in one medium was superior to another. It’s a common snobbery that was even more prevalent pre-internet. It did damage. Someone else – someone unnamed, ambiguous, and anonymous – had the power to determine if what I created measured up, not me. And I came to believe that what I created would never measure up, no matter the medium. What a price to pay! It’s taken years of conscious effort, contemplation, and healing to unlearn that garbage and learn to value and honor creativity more than the medium, more than the creation itself.
What is important is that we create.
Whether we use glass beads, paint, words, sound, fabric, or macaroni elbows is of little importance.
What is important for me is that when I’m creating I am connecting with my Soul. I’m giving to myself and to others. I’m inspiring others to create and seek and connect.
I’m honored by Alicia’s words. She inspires me and reminds me how much creativity, my creativity, matters.
Thank you,
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August 13, 2014 at 4:14 pm
Keith Pearson
Margie,
I appreciate your comments on creativity not being limited to a particular medium. I do agree. I have done pencil drawing, oil painting, stained glass and now I am a bead artist. I have never been so creative until I started beadwork. I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas. I have more ideas than I have time to make.
I do find that “fine” oil paintings seem to be held in higher esteem than beadwork, although the creativity process is probably more difficult for beadwork since there are more decisions available in beads and bead stitches to get to the final result.
Thank you for posting your comments. It confirmed my opinion.
Keith Pearson
August 14, 2014 at 10:33 am
colorforbeadartists
How fun to be waking up in the middle of the night due to ideas that demand to be heard! Isn’t that one of the greatest feelings?!
Thanks for reading and posting, Keith!