Bamboo Shacks, Paint while the inspiration hits

Bamboo Shacks, 6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Creating art is a great joy in my life and I knew early on that it was essential to the essence of my person. Though most people are creative in certain ways and creativity can be defined broadly it's well known that those we think of as "artists" tend to need to do their art in order to be fulfilled and yet few are able to do so as a profession for various reasons. The process of creating for artistic people (music, dance, theater to broaden the term "artist") is key to happiness for such people and it is why we persist despite the obstacles.

Art is more than just creating beautiful objects. It's about problem solving and creating from nothing. When you do art for a profession you problem solve constantly in order to be innovative. Every working artist has their challenges and, dare I say, demons in life but most are happiest when they are creating and when the creation process is flowing well.

What to do with the rare times where inspiration is lacking? Well, for me, I try to work for a while to see if I can break through to being inspired. On rare occasions (like the past few days) my focus for creating art dims and I must now work myself out of this particular problem or wait it out. Inspiration will flow again and I'm lucky that I'm usually bursting with energy to create. The few days of the year that this is not the case and in which my creative energies wane are hard days of a bland feeling for me and I've learned that it's best to not force the creative process. Painting needs to be done when I'm fully present. It cannot be forced.

And I'm going to say this: artists work for a living. Yes, we love what we do most of the time but it is work nevertheless. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not being honest or doesn't do it as a true profession. I feel that collectors need to understand that love of life and passion go into the works that they purchase but so do blood, sweat and tears.

So much of my soul is connected to my art. It is my esteem as well. My art is who I am in so many ways. There's a saying in the blacksmithing world and that is: strike while the iron is hot, meaning that you need to work that metal efficiently when you've got the most heat. The same is true for making art. When you are inspired, by all means work!

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com