Knowing Rhythm, Knowing Work
You’ve been struggling to make a breakthrough on your recent draft. You try a different stroke, style or decide to start over entirely. Despite all your efforts, it doesn’t feel right.
You’re convinced it’s not worth trying again. You give up. You stop working, and go about your daily life then boom! You realize something. You finally find that one piece that’ll change your work from a draft you tossed away into a final piece that’s worthy of a display. Excited, you rush back to a new work session to work on your draft again. Hours, days pass while you are deeply immersed in your work. You end up with a masterpiece in your hand. Perhaps your BEST work.
You finally feel at peace.
Creation follows a rhythm. Like the wind, you know it exists when you feel it on your skin. You recognize it when you’ve been unable to make a draft for a long time then all of a sudden you create multiple masterpieces.
The rhythm is cyclical, but unique for everyone. For some, length of time spent in the peaks and troughs of this rhythm is different. For others, the highs and lows themselves are distinct experiences.
The artist’s work now includes awareness. Awareness that sometimes, stagnation leads to breakthroughs more than constant improvement.