Heartsong Studio

 Do you ever want so much for a work of art to look the way you imagine, that you just can’t seem to make it turn out that way ?

Have you been taught that the way to success is to set yourself specific goals, and then work hard at fulfilling them ?

You may be surprised to know that this can be a good way of practically ensuring failure, or at least shallowness. If this is sometimes you, you’ll be interested in this article by Celeste Varley.

” When having specific goals won’t get you far.”

When Thomas Edison finally hit upon a filament that would light up a light bulb, do you think he knew, when he arose that morning, that this would be the day ? He surely knew that he sought a filament that worked, but he tried all sorts of things that failed before he could find the very thing that succeeded.

It was the process of searching through things that didn’t work, that enabled him to find the solution that did work.

Whether you’re an artist, a writer, a healer, a parent , a friend, or a salesman, if you set very specific goals and expectations, you might miss an awful lot of potential gains you couldn’t have imagined.

While you are focussed only on your end goal, you can’t pay much attention to anything other than the expected end result. You tend to find only what you have eyes for.

If you’re totally focussed on looking for one thing, you won’t see anything else. The paradox is there’s a good chance you wouldn’t see the very thing you’re seeking either. It’s like blinkers on a horse.

We held a yard sale recently. I saw two neighbours coming to look around, and overheard one telling the other that he had one very specific tool in mind. That’s all he was looking for. When they left, the other had a number of items, but the first man had nothing.

What’s the connection between doing a yard sale and making a work of art ?

One man only had eyes for one thing. The other man took in everything there, and allowed himself to be surprised. Approaching a work of art, at the beginning, is like hanging loose with the kernel of an idea. Not an idea that you’re very attached to, or clinging to, or have developed in detail.

If you can remain willing to be surprised, then you will probably find more than enough unexpected solutions to your general idea.

These “solutions” aren’t just your property. Inspiration doesn’t come from you alone. It comes through your heart from the Source which is everywhere. So if you are receptive, this new inspiration can grow your germ of an idea into a new entity. Kinda like an egg being fertilized.

If Edison had happened to hit upon the solution that worked the very first time, I wonder what difference that would have made ? Would he have grown through the process which enabled his future work to develop ?

Can you imagine if the first piece of art you ever tried turned out to be stunning in all respects ? Maybe your first one did ! But then, what did you do next ?

Can you feel the pressure you’d put on yourself ? What would you do for an encore ? That kind of “beginner’s luck” often results in a “one trick pony” – a person who has one opus and stops dead.

Living art has to grow. It isn’t pre-conceived, like a virgin birth, having the finished product in your mind already formed before beginning.

If ever you find yourself trying to “finish” the picture in your mind before starting, it’s usually a result of fear. Fear of letting go the illusion of control.

You have to start with something. So start with a feeling about something from your heart, rather than the full blown end result in your mind.

Say you’re drawn to a stand of trees. Instead of fucussing on how it will turn out, try to stay with the idea a little longer. Try to get closer to what draws you, out of your head, and into your heart.

Your feelings are the perfect doorway for you to come into relationship with your subject. It isn’t a stand of trees that’s your subject, it is your response to this stand of trees.

The seed of your idea can grow into an entity of its own when it is nurtured in relationship with you. With respect, care, and feeding, like any relationship, it may be incubated and grow.

How can you feed an idea ? Feed yourself first and frequently by opening your heart to your Source. Then you can see the work with innocent eyes, as it develops on your canvas, paper, or clay . By feeding yourself, you will have what it needs, and be able to feed it.

This growing seed of an idea is just as attracted to you as you are to it. In the give and take of a relationship, what could it give you in return ?

For one thing, you could find out more deeply about why you and it were attracted to one another. You might also learn more about your own inner life. You can become able to “read” your own marks as though reading a secret code.

When the time comes that no more needs to be done, then you may wish to name or rename the piece. In all likelihood, it will have quite a different persona from at the start. That’s a healthy sign of a truly new birth. It’s a big part of your reward, when a new entity grows out of a relationship. A new child is born.

 

Did this enrich your art making experience ?
Let me know if it planted any new seeds for you.

Celeste Varley

http://www.heartsongstudio.com

 

 

 

 

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