How does or has GRIEF effected your creativity?

[Camille]

Many of us 'Spacers have been through painful periods of grieving, mourning and sorrowing.
Spacers write of loss of their pets, serious health challenges that debilitate, divorces, and loss of family or friends, and then there is catastrophic loss through natural disasters, car accidents, etc.

We grieve when we meet with these critical life challenges. I am grieving right now for the recent loss of a much loved soul-mate. It has made me wonder how our grief and sorrow effects our creativity...

Did you create during times of grieving or put it away?
Did sorrow change your creative habits?
Did you use sorrow as a starting point for a new inspiration?
Did it change the way you made art or the images you produced?

I would love to read of your experiences regarding how grief effected or is effecting your creative live...Please do share here!
Sincerely, Camille

[MarjakaThriver]

Good discussion thread. I am a survivor of child abuse, incest, acquaintance rape and an abusive first marriage. With all the therapy I've done over the years, I've learned that "feeling the feelings" is key to my surviving and learning to thrive. For me, feeling the feelings and getting them OUT was what led me to poetry. Grief and mourning have been central to my writing, especially the poems.

When one is closed off from feelings, dissociated from reality and not really even in one's own body, creativity is limited. Life is not really lived. Beauty is not really seen. When I started to get in touch with my feelings and write about them, I really started getting connected with all of life. I started to see the light, the dark, the black, the white and all of the shades of gray in between that make up life. This gave me a better perspective, and, in turn, gave more depth to my writing!

[Lin Neiswender]

Marjaka, you have come though the darkness into the light with your spirit strong. That is so wonderful! Attitude is the key to creativity I believe. Yours is shining!

[MarjakaThriver]

Wow, Lin. Thanks. That comment is especially meaningful for me right now, as my attitude was just recently in the "stinkin' thinkin'" category. "Shining" and "Light" both sound more appealing to me! :)

[Lin Neiswender]

Good Marjaka! By the way, who is that best friend in the avatar pic? You may have told me before but I forgot!

[Camille]

Wow Marjaka, you certainly did become a thriver par excellence! Your story is inspiring and will certainly help others! Isn't it amazing how much inner strength we can get from finding our own truth in such diverse ways!
Doesn't it work both ways? We make deeper art, the more we plunge into our own inner depth? Blessings to you Marjaka!!! Love and hugs from Camille

[MarjakaThriver]

I started really getting into the visual arts back in 1977. But, I don't think I awoke to the reality of the relationship between the deep emotions and the "deeper art" as you say (great concept!) until I began writing. Poetry seems to be especially conducive for this, I'm finding. Thanks and blessings to you as well.

[Camille]

Deeper, in the sense that the artmaking becomes more and more meaningful to you and to the audience, Marjaka! It intrigues me greatly how some are drawn to some creative mediums more than others! Very interesting! Love Camille

[Valerie]

"It intrigues me greatly how some are drawn to some creative mediums more than others!" Yes, very interesting question Dabs. I never thought of it. I guess I always just thought you were born to lean one way or another, like being left handed or right handed. Very interesting question.
I like to write and paint, but don't have a passion for them. I like to sew and do anything fiber and I have a passion for those. Where did it come from? Hmmmmm.

[Camille]

Exactly Val...why is it that Alfredo is passionate about music, Lin loves to write, I adore collage and construction...

I think that for myself, I was very intrigued by my Dad's art...he studied window display and made lots of constructions and collages and used a wide variety of materials and techniques...as a little girl my father's art was so attractive and mysterrious to me...I would wonder how and why he made those things...then he went into computer programming...but he always continued to make decorative things for special occasions and holidays...this must be where my passion comes from...

Were there people in your childhood who wrote, painted or do sewing and fiber play, Val???

Alfredo, I wonder about how music became your passion? Lin with your writing? et al????
We should start a discussion about this elsewhere and get an idea of how Spacers think they have grown so passionate about their particular mediums...

hmmm...there may already be a discussion somewhere about that...research to do before starting a discussion on this....What would be a good way to question this?
Childhood Influences Creativity...what were yours???

Love Camille

[Valerie]

You may be on to something Camille. One of my first memories was of my mother sewing clothes for my sisters and me on her old machine. I was fascinated, totally mesmerised. She also loved to knit and embroider and do other fiber stuff. Her embroidery was amazing. She dabbled in painting and writing etc. Following in the footsteps? Could it be that simple?

I think the idea of a discussion is a good one. Please don't take me wrong, but I think Childhood Influences might be too restricting. That might not be what it is for everyone. Maybe something like Creative Passion Where Did it Come From? Or something along those lines. More open. What do you think?

[Camille]

Oh Val, I do see a similar pattern in you and your childhood influences....

Yes, it is a more open question...and then in the intro a list of other springboard questions...regarding more specifics...

childhood influences intrigue me but there are others who recieved influences at later times in life, like at school, in college, after meeting a friend, etc...

You are way better with wordsmithing, so if you want to start the discussion yourself, please go ahead and do your thing with blessings! Love and hugs from Camille

[Valerie]

Oh, Dabs I couldn't start a discussion. I am not a good leader. But I would definitely be interested in one. Very intriqueing subject.

I suppose, for most, we can trace it back to our parents. Still, my husband is a muscian, but neither of his parents were and almost no one else in his very large extended family. Even though my husband tried to interest my older son in the drums as he was growing up he wanted no part of it, until his friend wanted to start a band. He told my son, "your dad has drums so you will be the drummer". It has been his passion ever since. I wonder what would have happened if his friend had never wanted to start a band. Would he have found his passion some other way? Does our passion find us? Would he have found it if his father wasn't. All very interesting to me. I do hope someone will start a discussion on it.