“Habit seems to be a much stronger force than either willpower or inspiration. Consequently there must be some little quality of fierceness until the habit pattern of a certain number of words is established. There is no possibility, in me at least, of saying, ‘I’ll do it if I feel like it.’ One never feels like awaking day after day. In fact, given the smallest excuse, one will not work at all. The rest is nonsense. Perhaps there are people who can work that way, but I cannot. I must get my words down every day whether they are any good or not.”
– John Steinbeck
Great writers are not the only artists who know how to show up for work, but much can be learned from their sense of discipline. As I come to the halfway point of my 31-day exercise, I must keep compelling myself to “conduct an experiment” each day, instead of resorting to a proven approach. I find it periodically necessary to disrupt that part of my creative mind which seeks comfort in “marketability.” If I prime the pump of imagination, spontaneity, and intuition with this kind of authentic ritual, and also maintain a habit of work, surely everything else in the studio will take care of itself.
Untitled (…en win je tienduizend!)
collage experiment on paper by J A Dixon
4 x 5 inches
Purchase this experiment.
