Rewards
Written by Michaela MacBlake Matthews
Today, we’re taking a look at detailed projects in the creative community, and why we love them so dearly. If you’re working up the gumption to dive back into a big project, looking for a boost of inspiration, or simply want to reflect on your work as a creative, this is for you.Detailed projects are a commitment. They are complex, time consuming, and sometimes even overwhelming to take on. Why pour yourself into a masterpiece when you could just doodle? As creatives, why do we love to bite off more than we can chew?
There are a few sides to the diligence and empowerment of taking on detailed projects, both in the process, and in the finished result! Let’s dive in.
The Meditation Of Creating
When we create anything, we fall into a beautiful lull: a rhythm of repetitive habit and active thought. We train ourselves to shift across multiple areas of the mind, and flex each one of them in a sort of mental-yoga.
The longer we stay in this state, the deeper it reaches. We become looser and more precise, all while sifting through background thoughts and shaking the dust from our typical thoughts. This process gives us a chance to reacquaint with ourselves in a constant flow of observation and expression, and as we work on the finer details, we tend to fine-tune our own inner monologue, as well.
Creating Tangible Self Esteem
As people, we are each a slew of experiences, skills, and personality traits. Sometimes it’s easy to see our own value, and other times not so much. However, when we pour ourselves into a masterpiece, we inevitably bring the good out of ourselves from every corner of what we are.
Creating puts us in a resourceful state, and the challenge of a detailed project encourages us to pull on all of the wisdom and skill we have stored up. Not only do we use these aspects, and make them tangible to see in the project itself, but we also unify them. What perks and quirks might have been floating around our self-perception then become neatly woven into a single piece, and they can be seen together cooperating as a whole.
Building A Healthy Identity
Lastly, the tact and discipline involved in completing complex creative projects serves to build a very important pillar in identity: Presence.
Oftentimes, we consider who we are to be outlined by the future or the past. We hedge ourselves to our goals, and exhaust ourselves on constant tomorrows. We build memoirs of what made us who we are, and in turn become stagnant and stiff. Although it is a good thing to have both roots and dreams, presence can often be hard to come by.
When we take on a masterpiece, our identity becomes aligned with what we do. Not what we have done, not what we will have, but how we actually spend our time today. Bringing our sense of self into the present aligns us with reality, it opens us up to be truly grateful for our lives, and to grow along the way.
Although it takes patience and humility to face the blankness of a long term project, it is a soul-transforming journey; one that any creative person should embark on at least twice in their lives.
"Mac" is on the Lifestyle Team here at Darn Good Yarn, and loves taking a ‘teach a man to fish’ approach to creative therapy. She is certified in neuro-linguistic programming, and is also the surreal artist and author behind Surrealismac.
