I try not to over think it. I'd become completely overwhelmed with fears and hopes and longing...possibly even snatching back neglected pieces or moving them around someone's house, for a less central or more appropriate location.
There is this book called "Art and Fear," by David Bayles and Ted Orlando, with many quotable quotations. Rereading it has brought new ones to light for me, a couple good ones for today:
"The conventional wisdom here is that while "craft" can be taught, "art" remains a magical gift bestowed only by the gods. Not so. In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive."
"Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending. The risks are obvious: you may never get to the end of the sentence at all--or having gotten there, you may not have said anything. This is probably not a good idea in public speaking but it's an excellent idea in making art. ... People who need certainty in their lives are less likely to make art that is risky, subversive, complicated, iffy, suggestive or spontaneous. What's really needed is nothing more than a broad sense of what you are looking for, some strategy for how to find it, and an overriding willingness to embrace mistakes an surprises along the way. ... And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding."
(The image above was made for a 100 hole golf marathon that supported a ministry in Northeastern Wisconsin.)
