…as the old joke goes, ‘take it!’ Silly and facetious, yes, but that’s about as close to decision-making as most of us can get when it comes to choosing between two or more equally excellent, terrible and/or unknown paths. We often dither so long before even reaching an intersection, just worrying about when and what it might be, that by the time we’re there we’re no closer to real and reasoned decisions and end up tripping all over ourselves while we fumble onto one branch of the road or another, sometimes even going so far as to get scared enough to back up to the fork and try another route instead. Which rarely tells us any more than utterly random movement what would’ve been the genuinely best choice. Just another of life’s unfair conundrums, after all.
So Many Forks in the Road, So Little Time. Detail from a mixed media sculpted window valance in a vaguely neo-Baroque style. Fun, pointless, and well worth the making.
In art-making, thankfully, the results of such choices needn’t be either so clear-cut or so exclusive. Art is one of the environments most hospitable to a constantly changing mind or, barring the ability to decide at all, a good mash-up where the chosen option is ‘All of the Above.’ So I happily pot around making mixed media works, assemblages and a veritable multitude of artworks that are nothing in the least like what I thought I was planning to make when I started them. I love being allowed to not make up my mind, or sometimes to let my art make my mine up for me. This is undoubtedly a contributing factor in my perpetual inability to make anything remotely resembling a commercial success with any of my art, this indecisive character of mine. But it sure makes for fun playtime in the studio, and that at least is a sure distraction from any unpleasant paths life threatens to lead me down, so I guess I can’t really complain.
Art-Colored Glasses 
Great image with the words!!
Stick a fork in me, I’m done! 😉
LOL! That made me blurt out laughing. 😀
My goal is to eventually make you laugh until the milk shoots out your nose, so a blurt is a good start. 😉
xo
LOL
Kathryn, I’m slowly making my way through your blog and just wanted to say that I’m boggled by your sheer range and the richness of your writing (and photography and other art).
I wonder if you have some sore of compendium of your art projects? That valance…..just the idea to put those ideas together (and make it look like chocolate to boot!) is genius.
The very best to you and thanks for the post! Beth
Many thanks, Beth, for your generous comments! I guess this blog is the closest I’ve come thus far to a catalog of my oeuvre. So far, anyway. 😉 I’m so delighted we’ve connected, and am looking forward to lots of quality time wandering around at your blog, too!
All best to you, Beth,
Kathryn
the perfect way to make art. Fun and pointless, and actually sometimes turning into great and meaningful art!
Pretty much my code for living life in general!!! 😀
xoxo
Yep, mine, too.
🙂
I find striving is a sure killer of my artistic and literary endeavors. The pleasures they involve also can offer some pain, but doing and even being them is the most inspiring thing. It is better to see their appreciation by others as a bonus rather than goal. Annerose said it very well! XO
Simply being *open* to the gifts that fall in our laps by serendipitous means is a great gift in itself. It’s also, possibly, a life skill—at least, recognizing the moment and taking advantage of it should be. 😀
xo