Picking up my new design Gayatri Mantra at the printer in Ubud Bali
I am always amazed at the process of creation of a new design. How it begins at first with a whisper of an idea, a subtle inspiration and like a seed sprouting somewhere deep within my soul it begins to grow. At first I may not even notice it much among other things occupying my mind but with time the seed grows deeper roots and like a blossoming flower suddenly springs up at the front door of my conscious mind and it wants me to look at it! It's like a beautiful present that gets delivered to my door when it happens, as it really doesn't happen too often, sometimes months go by without any artistic inspirations. I say to it, I commit, I want to give you birth and bring you into the world, or into a computer in my case! I sit down, gather my tools, clean my desk and soon I loose myself to the world outside and dive into this bubble of creativity bringing the concept our of my head into a tangible, visible form.
It's a beautiful feeling to be a witness to this process when I realize it's not really ME creating anything, but rather this creation is moving through me and I become a conduit for some higher power that wants to express itself through me in this design. The more I am able to surrender to the process, the more blissful I become, the more altered, "high" and intoxicated where I can forget the world outside, don't need to sleep, don't need to eat and nothing else matters only that I continue creating my piece. It can be a double edged sword sometimes where it may become hard to for me to know when to take a break, to take care of my other needs and sometimes it's hard to know when to stop. I learned it is healthy to take breaks, to rest and when I come back to my project with fresh eyes I can see it from a different angle and take it to the next level.
There comes a time when I realize, "it is done", nothing else can be added to my piece, it's perfect! Then I often just sit there for a long time and stare at the screen at my new creation and receive it's meaning of what this piece represents and the many levels how it speaks to me. I see my creation as a miracle that wasn't here a short while ago and now it is! Where did it come from? It's always a mystery to me. The next part I can't wait for in my creation process is to take my new design to the printer and print it for the first time on fabric making it into a new banner or a new tapestry so I can actually touch it, feel it and smell it too! Then my creation becomes more real, takes on a new meaning, it is ready to be shared with the world, to inspire, to open minds to a higher possibility!