I always have a slump before the Christmas festival, during long dark nights and short dull days. It coincided this year with a 24 hour flu ‘thing’. It disintegrates and I move through the negativity and move on, realising the value of this disassembly for my work. There’s a skill in taking disassembly or failure or negativity in whatever form it takes and putting everything back together again. I now look forward to the challenges – however petty because I know it’ll spark a reaction in me that will lead me to precious creativity. The reaction skill takes a lot of training to acquire – or maybe not, maybe it’s like hearing a piece of music for the first time that you know will accompany you on the rest of your journey through – it kicks out an inactive, passive response and overrides the causes reducing them to zero, nil, ineffectual. It’s a bit like hill climbing on a bike – work in mind and muscle, through pain, that brings huge rewards. I think that’s the amazing value of creativity to heal and empower.
So reassembled and full of new ideas, I’ll be at my stall in Tynemouth Market on Sunday 21st December 2014. Happy Christmas.
Anne Proctor Printmaker 