Comments on: Creativity Practice Essay by Walter Hawn: “It Ain’t Practice Unless It’s Work”

By: marta

marta — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:38:09 +0000

I write after my son and my husband go to bed. I write almost every night between 10pm and 1am--and I still get up 6:30 to face the day. Its all work and practice and fun and not fun. I liked the bit in this post about creative projects being seen as fun and getting no respect. I certainly can relate. Thanks for the post.

By: Pat Hadley

Pat Hadley — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:36:32 +0000

Walter I like your writing style and the content of what you wrote. I also liked the photo you put there with the writing.

Janet I think you choose interesting topics for your blog. I am learning about blogs from watching yours and some others. Visually I thought it looked really good yesterday, the choice of colors, placement of the
photo, and words.

By: Ginny

Ginny — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:55:30 +0000

Walter and Janet,
As I was reading your piece Walter, I was reminded of a quote from Chuck Close. "Amateurs look for inspiration, the rest of us just go to work". Love your humor, so keep it coming.
Ginny

By: Judy

Judy — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:28:37 +0000

Walter and Janet,

This creativity business is both exhausting and exhilarating. Not being a morning person, I am trying to make the shift to having at it first thing which requires getting up early and therefore going to bed early. This habit change will supposedly be in place after two months. Sure hope so because right now just getting to the three hour productivity mark would be really grand. Love your wit Walter!

By: Cecile Betit

Cecile Betit — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:27:52 +0000

Ah Walter and Janet, so much of life involves that fine line between fun and work, pleasure and perdition, livelihood and poverty, heaven and hell. Always inspiring to read of those who find and make balance as path through the wildnerness of a life. Thank you for giving the tongue of my mind these thoughts. Take good care, Cecile

By: Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer

Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:11:57 +0000

Walter and Janet,
How nice to connect with you in this way. I agree that creative work is a practice and takes practice. My artist friends are among the most disciplined people I know. Thanks for sharing. Now I must get back to my studio.

Mary

By: Janet Riehl

Janet Riehl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:33:43 +0000

Yvonka,
Thanks for visiting. In so doing, you honor all of our creative work: Walter's, yours, mine, and other group members, and artists everywhere.

Since I was trained as a musician as a child, I resonate to the idea of art as practice. The metaphor also works for me from a spiritual standpoint, as spiritual practice in the midst of our creative work.

Janet

By: Yvonka

Yvonka — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:22:18 +0000

Good morning Walter and Janet,

I just wanted to say Walter that a light went on in my head when you said "because creative practice isn’t honored as work, it’s hard for us to face as work. It seems like it ought to be fun, always, and fun you can pick up and put down whenever you like. When something stops being fun, we tend to stop playing. So, the ideal is to generate the same practicing mentality of a professional engineer or optician." As well as treating art-making as a job (and not waiting around for inspiration to strike)

I need to believe that my being an artist is as valid as being an engineer or optician. I certainly believe this about other artists and think the world is a better place for it. But I question my own work and its validity. Thanks for your insights and humour. Keep on sending them to the group.