THE CREATIVE WELL

Why?

Because I am looking around a room of lost potential.

A pool, stagnant and forgotten in the rummage of imaginable themes, 

streams and lost threads.

The creative well begins to stale.

The idea of creation commences,

with ease, running & free-flowing, 

but if attention is not maintained, 

those shiny pipes will rust & corrode.

If this well is not tapped into,

used, expressed, or acted upon, 

the once ease of siphoning,

to draw up even the most minuscule amounts,

becomes arduous & strained.

As an artist, if there is too much time between; 

the stroke of a brush, 

a layering and distortion of a digital pixel,

a keyboard tapped,

the moulding of clay,

the threading of a needle,

a line being drawn,

a body moving in synchronicity,

an instrument played,

a chord sung,

a word scribed, 

expressing, not necessarily something new,

but something that simply is 

and is present within its creator right now.

Then that well, day by day, drip by drip, 

starts to rise.

The well can fill with inspiration and momentum 

or flood in suppressed wishes.

There, it does not stop.

In action or in process, 

we draw up this liquid gold, magic-like nourishment

from an infinite source of freedom & opportunity.

In non-action, we bleed the well dry 

& find an endless source of anguish & regret.

The essence of art; is an alchemy that sustains, energises, 

reinspires & moves us individually and collectively.

On the flip side, it can be isolating & fear-inducing.

Lessons learned in these past years, 

we know sufficiently well,

that no one thrives in isolation; 

the same applies to what is artfully manifested.

Dusty on a shelf, 

hidden in a cupboard, 

enclosed in a folio,

or held captive within the creator's mind. 

Alone & unseen will just not do.

What is often crucial is the creative cycle needing completion.

[My] creative cycle needs completion.

There is a drive for the result to be seen, 

heard, experienced, & the highest of hopes … felt by another.

The art must be witnessed, 

or this metaphorical well begins to overflow.

When the work is discovered and acknowledged

by someone other than the creator.

We collectively share unseen dreamscapes, 

stories & new possibilities,

A connection is made between individuals & ideas.

A cycle is completed, and the chapter can close.

Nothing needs to burst; nothing is forced nor flooded.

The well's water can be released into its next revolution.

Where the cycle begins again, returning unto itself,

Ready for the subsequent action,

creation or insight to take place

unencumbered by the weight of potential 

scattered in unwritten, unseen, unheard or unrealised places.

You see, 

our deepest aspirations & ambition dwell in the same pools 

as our unmet needs & feelings of defeat 

And to flourish in a creative life, we must remind ourselves;

whether it is liked, loved or loathed, 

it does not matter.

I'm encouraging you (& me),

I'm asserting to you (& me),

Act from that source,

Search for your outlet, 

than

Get out your tools

& create, 

when that is done, then

Get out your wares

& share, share, share that devotion.

And yes,

When the cycle has taken place, 

often we are possibly STILL yet satiated?

But there is definitely more satisfaction & peace, 

having come full circle, 

completing a cycle, 

closing a chapter, 

ready and inspired for the following passage 

rather than allowing our well to fill, fill, fill.

Much Love, A.Licciardi. x

—

Written during the lockdowns, 
when I had little time to create what I consider my 'real' art, 
and the resulting frustrations felt.

This is a work in progress yet to be edited, and voice-over finessed
but I'm happy to share the sentiment in the meantime…

 ps… I am totally and finally in action again.