by Andrea Fedder | Dec 30, 2019
ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE
Nearing the end I thought to paint some fireworks as a little pre-emptive colour hooplah for being almost done with this challenge.
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I started painting the great puffs of colour in the sky and just could not get into it.
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“Why is this not working for you, Andrea?” I asked myself. And as quick as lightning another part of me replied – ‘Because fireworks are too removed from nature’. (Yes, the chemical elements used are natural but the way they’re propelled into the sky with gunpowder is human-engineered).
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Hmm. So I painted over it all and started again, tapping into nature’s own colour spectacle. Okay, this sky is a little Willy Wonka but none the less, it flowed, and therein lies the rub for me.
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It’s SO easy to slip back into conventional associations or societally reinforced thinking structures. On the creative path, if you’re not questioning your why for stimulus often enough, you can quickly murky the source fire of your creativity. Of course, it’s fine to do so, but do it because you’ve decided to break your pattern, not because you’ve slipped unawares into the habitualness of life around you.
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(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration image: artist’s own
by Andrea Fedder | Dec 27, 2019
ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE
“Pilgrims are persons in motion passing through territories not their own, seeking something we might call completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit’s compass points the way. ” – H. Richard Niebuhr
(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration image: artist’s own
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by Andrea Fedder | Dec 26, 2019
ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE
A quote by Michael Mead to continue my reflections from Part 1 of this triptych.
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“In seeking after what the soul desires we become pilgrims with no home but the path the soul would have us follow.”
(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration image: artist’s own
by Andrea Fedder | Dec 25, 2019
You will one day wake up and walk your pilgrimage, not for the view on the mountain or the applause at your ascent. You’ll walk your pilgrimage because the will within you is too strong to ignore. The desire to move will be stronger than the hesitation to remain.
(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration image: artist’s own
ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE
My last triptych for the year has bloomed out of me – this one inspired by the beautiful voice and lyrics of Natalie Merchant. (I discovered her on one of my favourite YouTube channels – NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts).
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In particular the lyrics of their rendition of Weeping Pilgrim. Have a listen – it’s really soul-stirring.
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In a way, I feel like this year has been a creative pilgrimage, of sort, and for me, the perennial nature of it – well, I wonder if it will leave me feeling similar as one does after a long hike through nature – deeply spent, rested in that exhausted but peaceful kind of way and oh so grateful for the quiet, consistent restoration to my own inner compass.
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My encouragement to anyone wanting to take on a creative challenge is to just start. Don’t think of how tired you’ll be or how blistered your feet may become. Pour out your creative offering, little by little, day by day.
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Even if at the end of it, it’s just you alone on that mountain, bearing witness to your own walk.
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The view and the lofty heights are fleeting motivations for undertaking any journey. You will one day wake up and do it – simply because the will within you is too strong to ignore.
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That powerful voice within is my wish for you – she will be the best friend and companion you’ve ever had.
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Merry Christmas, everyone. ✨
by Andrea Fedder | Dec 16, 2019
ORIGINAL COPY POSTED ON INSTAGRAM DURING THE CHALLENGE
Simple is hard. So hard.
I tried again today with the minimalist flowers and didn’t get it right.. again (in my book).
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But I wanted to post it as is anyway (which is k*k hard for me) because above all else this journey has to reflect truth – truth back at me and hopefully some truth for you.
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And that is that nobody, and to my knowledge, no artist, gets it right 100% of the time. My innate tendency (through upbringing, learning and life) has been to ‘get it right, fix it, make it better’. But I just don’t wanna anymore. I want to be okay with what is.
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Today this painting is my truth. An odd little painting I’m not quite proud of. – but that reflected some bittersweet truth back at me. So I’m leaving it as is, grateful for the lesson.
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Not giving up doesn’t mean consistently pushing yourself, unaccepting of your ‘failures’. Thanks to this little painting, I now see it as, accepting what failure looks like, but not letting it stop you from trying again tomorrow. 🌸
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Ps: We’ve named the black little kitten Satya, which is sanskrit for ‘truth’. I think he’s already working his dark magic on me.
(artist retains all rights to print reproductions of this painting)
Inspiration: artist’s own
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