Procrastination and the Creative Process
Well, I have distracted myself with grisaille enamel painting and SEO and this blog and starting a new business and production work and everything else I can think of – even housecleaning – but the reality is that one of these days I have to sit down and realise those cloisonne panels of the Armless Maiden story that I came up with OVER A YEAR AGO! That is how well I can procrastinate.
Though I have to say that in this case, it’s not procrastination of the lazy kind, but of the fear kind. Cloisonne is not a technique that I have a lot of experience with – and you may remember that I did a series of cloisonne designs based on images from nature in order to practice. Well – that was so long ago I have practically forgotten all that I learned. Or maybe I have just been internalising and processing all of that experience…
Anyway I picked up this fish project – which I left unfinished three years ago – and decided that I could complete it now. That wasn’t a fear thing – that was a making a living thing. Sometimes it makes me sad and sometimes it makes me angry – but the reality is that I can only spend a certain amount of time on things that are going to be hard to sell. When I started this piece – it was even before the Armless Maiden panels were a thought in the back of my mind. I just wanted to explore cloisonne. But I stopped in the middle of this piece – because it was clear from the labour involved that it would be in the $300-$400 range – and that is higher than I can usually afford to sell …
I have mixed feelings about having to think about money while I make my art – sometimes it prevents me from doing my best work – and sometimes it forces me to be creative in ways that I wouldn’t expect.
I like to think that when someone buys something from me – it’s not so much an exchange of money for merchandise – but an expression of the fact that they support my endeavours as an artist – they give me the money to support me while I work – and I give them a gift …
Anyway – thanks to all of those who have supported me over the years – as I am going to spend some time making a probably totally unsaleable series of cloisonne panels based on a folklore tale! And I am going to do it NOW.
imago corvi 
It's good blog. I'm Gocha from Georgia and I to make Cloisonne enamel my Blog is about Georgian cloisonne enamel http://cloisonneenamel.blogspot.com/
Thanks for you like my blog. These enamel is not my. but shortly time I put them
I just discovered your blog recently after learning some enameling from Linda Darty. Really enjoy it!
"Enjoyed" would be too tame a description of our response to your work on display last weekend at Celtic Roots in Goderich, Ontario. "Amazed" is more like it. As we actually live 8 hours south in Athens, Ohio, I believe our shopping will take place at your site. Thank you.