I was an artist before I knew what an artist was. Always inventing, busy hands, and creating, I also complained of being bored. Often! Boredom is, I believe vital for the growth of imagination and creativity, especially in childhood.
A story
When I was about 11 yrs old, on one of many family camping trips to the Murray River in New South Wales, I spent the whole long weekend shaving the bark from a huge tree root. the trunk had long been removed and used as firewood. When it came time to break camp the inevitable debate began between my parents. of what to do with my "sculpture". My Father said, "She's spent so much time on it". My Mother reasoned "What will we do with it once home?"
The final decision was to leave it and I was totally okay with that because it was in the doing that held me. The deep engagement with the bark and smooth underbelly of twisted root that held me for 4 days was enough.
As Artists we try to restore the spaciousness of childhood
- Brian Rutenberg