In last month’s newsletter, I wrote about how important it is to persevere with your art because of how essential art is to us as individuals and to the world at large. But this month, I realize that there are times when you should call it quits and start anew.
I started with #the100DayProject when it kicked off in April. The idea behind the project is very similar to Creative Play™ in that you commit to doing one small creative project each day for 100 days. I thought, “No problem, I do that anyway” and I decided to do an improv piecing block each day. A little more than a month into the project, I realized that I was so bored doing the same project each day. I started dreading the creative time instead of finding it fun. When I recognized that it wasn’t fun anymore, I decided that it was time to quit. I understand now that part of what I enjoy most about my creative play time is the variety. I like painting one day and doodling another just because it’s what I feel like doing that day. Creative play time shouldn’t feel like a burden or a chore. Neither should any of our other projects, for that matter. Pushing ahead to get the binding on a quilt is one thing. Forcing yourself to work on a project that no longer inspires you is something else entirely and life is just too short for that. There are new exciting projects to work on and it is okay to move on.
