One of the definitions of faith is, “the complete trust in someone or something.” Each January, the members of my women’s group choose a personal word for the year. This year, I chose the word “faith,” as defined above. Why?
Because in 2023, I was operating from a place of faith regarding multiple projects for my work, all of which came to fruition in stunning ways: my Bursts of Brilliance® Art Salon Series; the staging of our play, Wave Me Good-Bye, in New York City; and the launching of a series of pop-up stores at the art gallery where my husband and I are part-owners.
2024, however, got off to a rocky start, and in many ways, I feel like I’ve been trying to find my way back to the sort of faith I had in myself, my work, my creativity, and my inspiration back in 2023.
I’ve always said if we’re open to it, many of us can experience multiple “bursts of brilliance” in a single day. But we can’t act on them all, nor should we. For me, the best litmus test regarding my ideas has always been whether I can feel myself into a future in which those projects already exist, and feel whether they are bringing joy to me and others.
In early 2023, I could feel that future regarding the projects I just described. I could feel it so strongly that when the few naysayers in my life tried to change my mind, I simply smiled and said, “Nope, I’m doin’ it.”
A friend asked me yesterday if the equation for success is then: creativity = faith + joy. “I think so,” I said. It certainly was for the Art Salons. Although, I think the direction of the equation makes a difference. With the Art Salons, the idea came first, then absolute faith it would work, and pure joy in building and producing it. Just like the direction of the equation above.
But maybe the direction is actually faith + joy = creativity. That’s more how it felt with the play. Since the play started out as one of my novels, the original creative output already existed in a different form and just needed to be adapted by my daughter and me. So, that project felt more like, “I have faith we can turn this book into an awesome play, and that process will bring me joy, and in the end, we’ll have a new creative entity.”
Or maybe the direction is joy + faith = creativity. That’s more how it felt with the pop-up stores. I was feeling excited by our new adventure in helping to own an art gallery, and had faith I could bring some collaborative new ideas to the table, and that lead to the idea for the pop-up stores, which would allow me to introduce new customers to the gallery in a way that connected us with the outside arts community and provided a space for new and diverse artists to get some exposure.
In other words, I think the equation is valid, but the direction may depend on whether creativity is the impetus or the outcome you are seeking, and that could be situational or aspirational. (Now remember, math is not my strong suit, so if I’m misusing the mathematical terms here, just roll with it.)
The only thing I can say for sure is, this equation works, whichever direction you choose. To bring truly sensational, life-affirming, inspired art into this world, you need all three parts of the equation. I’m leaning into all three today, and I hope you are, too!
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