The InternetI have read many (too many?) books on the creative process and whether or not the ideas are original, or whether or not the writing holds my attention, I usually can glean something helpful to think about. The part of the process that I have always found most difficult is showing my work which is critical to the circle of completion. I have recently found Oriah Mountain Dreamer's book 'What We Ache For/ Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul'. In it she addresses the process of offering our work to others in a powerful and clarifying chapter called Being Received. She says:
" Because creative work does need to be recieved. It's part of the process of creation to be seen.....that act of creation by which you dip into the sea of potentiality and collapse infinite possibilites into a singularity, is repeated in a similar and yet different way each time another person recieves the piece you have created." When this cycle remains unfinished, we cannot move on to new work, "or we do so carrying the weight of what is incomplete, what is yet to be received."
Releasing UpwardsSo I understand that part. The truth that I did not understand is that we have little or no control over how our work is recieved and while it remains each artist's responsibility to find ways of being recieved we are not responsible for the response.
Oriah relates her own awakening :
"It's not about me! It's about what may happen for others when we do our small part, when we bring ourselves to our lives and our creative work as fully as we are able."
"When we put our creative work into the world we sometimes feel as if a piece of ourselves is exposed to potential rejection or acceptance, praise, or ridicule. But we are wrong. As important as our work is, we are not the work we create. If we can keep and cultivate this perspective, we will be less likely to become attached to having our work acknowledged or received in a particular way."
Rocket BlogBefore I read Oriah's book I made the decision to turn off the Comment section of this blog. Although I still find blogging personally rewarding I was finding myself increasingly concerned over the lack of commentary that I've recieved over the past two years. (I do have some very loyal and appreciate support for which I'm very grateful!) But I decided to continue to blog, to share my work and thoughts, and to do it to the best of my ability without the distraction of whether or not any of my posts were comment worthy. Reading Oriah's book was tremendously validating (and serendipitous) for me in that while the blog is a way for my work to be recieved, I need not be pulled off center, overly concerned with approval or disapproval. I am finding that posting has become a pleasure again!
Thanks to all who have recieved my work here on Cinnamon!
"I'm not asked to be successful . I'm asked to be faithful...to myself." Martin Sheen
