I've been quiet here on the blog lately and there's a very good reason for that. I'm still trying to find my way into how to share the soul-shifting experience of the two-week residency I did with my collaborator and friend Liz Kalloch. In some ways, I don't want to tell the story ~ that by doing so will weaken its power. In most ways, I simply can't. It was 14 days completely and totally committed to the creative process ~ and boy did we dive in, go deep, and not come up for air until we had to.
We put no pressure on ourselves ~ only to commit to being in the studio together ALL day (we usually got to the studio about 8:30 a.m. and didn't leave until after 7 p.m.) working on our collaboration projects we call New Ground. We had no number to meet, no agenda to complete. It really was an open-ended voyage into exploration.
Along the way, we tapped into some good, good stuff. Almost effortlessly, we produced a nearly complete series involving patterns (all on wood panel) and got a good start on a couple more directions we are excited to pursue. (But not being in the studio together to nurture those new directions together is a hard pill to swallow.) And on a personal level, I unexpectedly found my way into a couple of new creative directions I'm excited to explore more of.
What I learned during this time is that collaborations, when with the right person, is exhilarating. It sounds cliche but it's true: it's like a dance. You feed off each other's energy, guide each other across the dance floor of process, support each other when there's a stumble, and can't imagine dancing to that song with anyone else.
I also learned something about myself: that all my years of practice, of study, of showing up and DOING is worth it...it makes a difference. In little bits it never seems like I'm getting anywhere but when something like this happens ~ where you draw from so many areas of your skill set and talent and creative vision ~ you see the mosaic as the whole that it is.
