I am a night owl. Partly out of habit, partly out of necessity {it’s near-impossible to get anything done w/ two boys running around}, and partly because I think and create best by the light of the moon.
There is something magical about playing in my dudio while the world around me sleeps. Everything is still and quiet, everyone in my circle is safe and sound. There are no distractions dive bombing my creativity, no one looking over my shoulder but angels and night fairies. At night, I feel like the art comes through me, from somewhere else, from something bigger than myself.
Eventually, I trudge up to bed {usually around 2am} in a swirling fog of exhaustion and exhilaration. Sometimes, when I come back downstairs in the morning, I have an art hangover; my memories of what I did the night before are a little hazy. Yep, it’s possible for me to be so drunk with creativity at night that I wake up the next morning to find a near-disaster on my canvas, not nearly as good-looking as I thought it was in the dark of night. It’s like having a regrettable one night stand with art supplies! Ha!
But then there are the mornings when I get a little rush from discovering a piece in my dudio that I feel soooo good about. Those mornings make fatigue and my addiction to coffee totally worthwhile. If a piece still speaks to me even as I rush around the kitchen making breakfasts, head full of things on my to-do list, then I know I’ve created something good.
This is one of those paintings that makes my heart do cartwheels. I had wanted to honor the moonlight that pours through my window, turns the tides, guides me gently, and infuses me with confidence. This piece took several nights to create, but each morning when I went to see it, I knew I was on the right track – that something beautiful was working its way through me.
Whenever I look at it, I find myself humming a soothing tune I’ve sung countless times to my children: I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.
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This is the last day of Art Every Day Month! Thank you, Leah, for all the inspiration and giving me a great excuse to stay up so late! I might actually go to bed early tonight. 🙂
