itajime shibori on cotton fabric, indigo, beads threaded on copper wire

I wonder if it’s possible to express genuine creativity if there’s anything left to lose.

I mean, if one’s still protecting a self-image – which inevitably involves need for acceptance and security – then one’s creative work (and life) will be constrained.  It will be limited to that which will please (or shock), and/or provide means of support.

Imagine the radical creative freedom of having nothing left to lose!  Of walking into the studio – or your life – that naked.  Of just turning up with no notions of how anything should turn out…

Imagine being so committed to the truth of your creative practice that you’d destroy your entire body of work.  That’s what artist and writer Jerry Wennstrom did.

After producing a large body of work, at age 29 he set out to discover the rock-bottom truth of his life. For years he questioned the limits of his creative life as a studio painter. After destroying all of his art and giving away everything he owned, Jerry began a life of unconditional trust, allowing life to provide all that was needed.

Read Jerry’s amazing story at his website:  In the Hands of Alchemy – and please don’t miss “The Creative Imperative,” a video with poet David Whyte and Jerry Wennstrom.

Also see Jerry’s page the awakened eye website.