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Everything changes. That is the only constant there is. And, while this concept may appear to be completely logical, it seems it is not natural for us to meet change with the receptivity that we could, or perhaps should. In large part, this is because we’re hardwired to be on the alert for change – a throwback to a time when vigilance to change was key to our very survival. Often life altering changes – like a deeply personal loss,a transition to a new way of being or a new place to occupy – can bring about some pretty complex inner stirrings that can take us by surprise. In my work with artists, huge life changes often have an impact on their creative output and connection to their work. The loss of a loved one or a home, a significant change in our health or the health of someone we care for, can bring about so much grief and internal conflict. We are flooded with emotions, details, choices, and consequences we were not fully prepared to encounter. Change has come for us…and we now need to find a way to move with it. And our creative process needs to move with it as well. When we’re profoundly changed, our art-making will also be changed. So how do we meet this time with openness and trust, when it feels so unsettling? At this time we simply need to accept that we are in transition, first in our lives and then in our creative work. This is just one type of transition that artists face. The other occurs when we feel the need to move elsewhere in our creative work. All artists evolve and continue to develop in our art-making, and there will be times when we’re aware of feeling not fully satisfied with the work we’re currently making. We know that we want something more, something different, but we don’t know what that is…yet. We’re fully in the in-between…and that can be a very unsettling place to be. This is another time when we need to embrace the transitional space we’re in and continue to move forward in order to access what wants to arrive.
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