Learn More Than You Ever Expected

This as my second play date challenge. Like my last post, I proposed a challenge to my friend Jennifer: I would give her one of my gel prints for her to letter on, and she would do the same for me. This is the second of the prints she gave me. I went a different direction this time. Here is the quote I utilized:

Creativity comes from trust.
Trust your instincts.

– Rita Mae Brown

I must admit, I had a harder time with this gel print than the last one. It has more color, more white space, and it was difficult to make the words stand out. I started by writing the word ‘creativity’ multiple times on the page, then wrote the quote very big in a stripe along the left side of the piece. I then wrote the text in the middle of the print. It worked out pretty good.

As both of us were being challenged, I thought it was important to find words about creativity. We talk about it, we think about being creative, yet it is hard to define what being creative REALLY means to each of us. I liked these words, as they remind us that creativity is a truly personal concept. It begins by trusting ourselves – our instincts, our eye, our talents, our skills – and then putting ideas out there for others to see. And that reminded me that creativity is always about being willing to take a risk. Some risks work out great, some risks end up as a big fat failure! Either way, it is still a risk.

No matter what, risk requires that we employ trust. Be it in a relationship, in ourselves, in creating something, or in telling our story to someone else. Being willing to risk means being willing to trust. If we never risk, if we always need to be in control or certain before we speak or act then our hesitation prevents us from building trust. And as we all know, trust is a very fragile thing. Once it is won, it is like iron that cannot be shaken. Once trust is lost or broken, it is VERY difficult to regain. Being willing to risk provides us the opportunity to move our lives and relationships forward. And in the case of this gel print, risk provided me the opportunity to push myself and my skills outside my own safety zone.

Where do you need to employ more risk in your own life? At work, at home, in your creative endeavors, or in your relationships? It is a sorrow filled day when we find ourselves unable to risk for fear of losing one more time. The willingness to risk is indeed a dicey opportunity, yet the rewards outweigh the pitfalls. My hope for you is that you dare to risk something today and learn more about yourself than you ever expected.