Wisdom in a Tree Mixed Media
“It is when you’ve found out how to do certain things, that it is time to stop doing them, because what is missing is that you are not including the risk. The fact is, risk is essential.”
Robert Rauschenberg
Starting something new can be exhilarating and scary. Stepping out of our comfort zone can cause countless different emotions. But this is how we grow as artists and individuals. Taking a risk is an adventure, and by nature humans are adventurous and curious,
Watch a toddler expand his territory and experiences one wobbly step at a time. Watch a teenager test the limits. Watch a newly retired individual sign up to learn something new. The soul needs adventure to thrive and gives us purpose. Adventure is a nutrient. Without it we can become depressed and despondent. Just look at what happened during the “Pandemic Lockdown”
In one of my first workshops after retirement, the instructor said, “Risk a glorious failure!” She was so right. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by stretching out and trying something new.
It gives us strength and makes us more adaptable to deal with all the hurdles of life. By taking risks we build our strength, power, and add more tools to our toolbox. It motivates us to achieve more and to be more.
We grow through the process and become more resilient and confident. Better yet, we start to take more risks and improves the chances of achieving future goals and growing.
When we start out on a new path or to experiment with some new possibilities, we recognize the process as an experiment and that also releases us from a lot of seriousness, a lot of demands of perfection. The outcome of experimentation is knowledge, and its failure is just as valuable as its success. We expand our awareness of our own ability.
If it fails, we figure out why, and learn new components to the process and that can be a window into what our deeper ideas might be. When we succeed, we have not only learned to problem solve, but build our self-esteem, and empower ourselves.
Trying something new is an exercise in open mindedness. It is a willingness to tap into our inner child, look for deeper meaning in our life, and not put our focus on the outcome but on the process.
As artists we must experiment so we can find our way around our medium, use different techniques, and explore our ideas. We must experiment because there is no roadmap to discover who we are, and what we have to say, or what other possibilities for creating might be out there for us to use.
Experimentation takes us to unexplored territory, untried actions. It allows us to explore the wilderness of our own talent and the wilderness of our own mind. Sometimes one must let go, enter the experimental space, and give permission ourselves permissions to stumble in order to advance to the next stage.
When we avoid our creativity and our ability to explore, we avoid who we are, and when we allow it to shine through, we meet ourselves. And, maybe find something much better and more meaningful than what we have been doing. Stay safe. Carolyn