On balance

I finished this early this morning.

It's part of a series that I haven't named yet. Here's a photo of three of the pieces together:

I've been on a creative tear the last few months. I haven't experienced such a long burst of creative output in years. Here's a photo of what the studio looks like now:

As you can see I have many irons in the fire. I've been wondering why I'm experiencing this sustained period of creativity. Balance comes to mind.

I have been experiencing balance in my personal life. I have my bad days. But what has been different over the last few months is that I'm able to look at the mood that comes over me as not being a direct correlation with reality. There is a grain of truth in the feelings, but they tend to be amplified considerably.

I've always been afraid that contentment and happiness would lead to less creative output for me. I was nervous that my creativity grew out of a general restlessness and unhappiness I have always experienced. But this period of balance is proving this a invalid hypothesis. It's difficult because there is such a ingrained romantic vision of the artist in our culture. Just look at the personal lives of Beethoven, Jackson Pollock, Kurt Cobain, Van Gogh, Amy Winehouse, Charlie Parker. Chuck Close' quote is my perfect antidote for for when my mind strays in this direction, "Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us get up everyday and get to work."