While listening to this, I had a "mild" epiphany while the two of you were talking about your gardening...
No one ever says, “I’m not a gardener,” the first time they put their hands in the soil.
They dig. They plant. They water. Some things thrive, some don’t. They learn by observing what works and what doesn’t. But when it comes to art, many people expect mastery before movement. They believe the label must come first, the confidence must be complete, the outcome must be worthy. If the first attempt feels awkward or imperfect, the conclusion is swift: This isn’t for me.
What if we treated creativity the way we treat gardening?
Something I intend to explore further thanks to listening to your podcast. If you have any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.
Wow, Sharon, that’s incredibly insightful, and I’m really sitting with your words. With gardening (and farming), there’s such an automatic surrender to nature because so much is beyond our control that we’re asked to let go of outcomes, tend what we can, and learn from everything else. But you're right, if we could open ourselves to that same surrender when making art...whew! And those who stick with it through the imperfect awkward attempts are the ones who just might break through to the other side and become the true masters of their craft!
Probably at any point in the flow of time, the confusing energies of stress, loss, confusion and pain are present. If it were not possible, let alone advisable, to hold these energies would tear us down to nothing. As a student, I studied Iyengar for 13 years, and still indulge some to this day. As then, now is the time to allow ki to flow, as unimpeded as possible. Pleasant observations, thanks for this.
Thank you for all of this wonderful information and for offering this podcast. I am looking forward to listening and know that valuable inspiration will be shared.
While listening to this, I had a "mild" epiphany while the two of you were talking about your gardening...
No one ever says, “I’m not a gardener,” the first time they put their hands in the soil.
They dig. They plant. They water. Some things thrive, some don’t. They learn by observing what works and what doesn’t. But when it comes to art, many people expect mastery before movement. They believe the label must come first, the confidence must be complete, the outcome must be worthy. If the first attempt feels awkward or imperfect, the conclusion is swift: This isn’t for me.
What if we treated creativity the way we treat gardening?
Something I intend to explore further thanks to listening to your podcast. If you have any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.
~Sharon
Wow, Sharon, that’s incredibly insightful, and I’m really sitting with your words. With gardening (and farming), there’s such an automatic surrender to nature because so much is beyond our control that we’re asked to let go of outcomes, tend what we can, and learn from everything else. But you're right, if we could open ourselves to that same surrender when making art...whew! And those who stick with it through the imperfect awkward attempts are the ones who just might break through to the other side and become the true masters of their craft!
I intend to explore this further. https://open.substack.com/pub/sharonhendry/p/saying-yes-to-the-imagination-garden?r=27zgx&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
“Nothing to grasp, everything to cherish” ahhh you two 🥰, loved this insightful conversation, thank you.
"I so deeply loved the world and
I was so terribly upset by the world.
All this. All this."
Oooof.
Thank you, Elena - for the space to let all this pass through.
Probably at any point in the flow of time, the confusing energies of stress, loss, confusion and pain are present. If it were not possible, let alone advisable, to hold these energies would tear us down to nothing. As a student, I studied Iyengar for 13 years, and still indulge some to this day. As then, now is the time to allow ki to flow, as unimpeded as possible. Pleasant observations, thanks for this.
Thank you for all of this wonderful information and for offering this podcast. I am looking forward to listening and know that valuable inspiration will be shared.