It bears repeating

I created this blog a little over a year ago with the intention of writing poetry and posting daily. I’ve definitely accomplished some of that goal, although I have slowed down a bit as posting a new poem everyday became a little daunting.

A lot of life has happened in the last year too: my beautiful niece was born, I became a certified ESL teacher, did some traveling, organized a very successful fundraiser for the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, turned 30 and really experienced some eye-opening events. I also learned that while life can absolutely be a source of inspiration, it can also definitely stump a person. I hit a couple of months there where it was easy to avoid working on or posting anything, but then I read this article by Wil Wheaton which then led me to this book which then prompted me to ask myself some questions.

“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.” The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

I started asking myself why I felt the need to keep my writing separate from my artwork (I had incorporated writing into my paintings successfully before); would I really be OK knowing I might not ever make a living off my creative endeavors; and where did I feel I was spiritually and emotionally.

While reading The War of Art, I realized that the work I do doesn’t come from me. I am only a vessel. During this time I rediscovered my tattered copy of Black Elk Speaks and ended up giving myself a goal: dissecting, sketching and creating a body of work (writings and paintings) around the themes of spiritual connection, “circles” as the “power of the world”, and the idea that our creative work comes from a bigger source.

“It was the power from the outer world, and the visions and ceremonies had only made me like a hole through which the power could come to the two-leggeds. If I thought that I was doing it myself, the hole would close up and no power could come through. Then everything I could do would be foolish.” Black Elk, Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux 1863-1950

Now, I’ve elected to do the Blogging 101 course again this year. It really helped me focus last January and I think it’ll end up being a great starting point again this year.

Katerina Marks