Today on the blog you're hearing from a woman I admire for her parenting skills, level-headedness, eco-conscious values and sheer artistic talent. Quinn encourages me when I'm in a creative block, laughs with me at the funny shit my daughter does, and has a sweet child of her own. Quinn is the kind of woman I've been working to surround myself with more, a kind, compassionate, femininst role model for all of us. Women like her are the reason the world goes round, y'all.
Without further ado, here's Quinn Dimitroff, artist, mother, and school bus tiny home renovator talking about how to lean into the void when you're feeling some kind of way about your creative pursuits.
When I first sat down to write this, I was experiencing some serious creative block. Not just creative block surrounding writing this blog post, but in my art and in my life in general.
I have been struggling to find that elusive thing called “balance” as a mother of a one year-old, a wife, and an artist. I'm sure any mother/woman/human/artist out there can relate to the constant battle of trying to balance all the areas of your life. There are only so many hours in a day (not to mention we are also currently turning a 1987 International school bus into a tiny home, but that's a whole other blog post!) and I feel like I can only excel in a maximum of two areas at once, so of course my creative side usually takes the hit.
I've realized through this most recent creative block that sometimes we are unable to create for a reason. My first instinct when I feel blocked is usually to make myself feel really guilty, then force myself to sit down and paint/draw/write. This does work sometimes, and I think there is something to be said for working through a block in creativity. However, this time it wasn't working for me, and I decided to try and do something different. I decided I was going to sit with it. I decided that maybe I needed to lean into the void instead of trying to push past it. I welcomed it as a friend instead of trying to fight it. I took the time to cook a little more, to sit a little longer with my baby, to read one more book, to journal more, to take more walks.
The result of digging into this pause, for me, produced something quite wonderful. For the first time in my life I have created a cohesive collection of paintings, a collection that came so suddenly I'm not even sure what hit me.
Sometimes a pause comes right before something great.
Sometimes a pause reminds us to hold our babies tight because they won't be babies forever.
Sometimes a pause is the universe shaking you by the shoulders and yelling “LOOK UP! ISN’T THIS ALL SO WONDERFUL ALREADY?”
To me, there are so many parallels between motherhood and creativity. Both need so much nurturing, both can be so humbling. These two areas of our lives, motherhood and creativity, may find themselves at odds but are really coming from the same place, both rooted in deep love. The kind of love that is fierce, but holds on gently and knows when to take a step back.
Your shy but incredibly smart teenager might need some extra encouragement to submit for the science fair.
The piece of jewelry you're working on may look completely different after you come back to it tomorrow.
Kids start to walk on their own time, when they're ready, but they might need a little nudge to make friends.
During some seasons of our lives we may be called to push, in other seasons to rest. The wisdom lies in knowing the difference.
Quinn Dimitroff is an artist, designer, and illustrator living in the Pacific Northwest. She can be found on Instagram @quinnarie, and her new collection of paintings, “R O O T E D,” can be found on Etsy.
