I call it the tyranny of the blank page. I also call it the miracle of the blank page. How that plays out is up to me more often than not.
I can tell myself that blank page will mock me because what I fill it with will not be good enough/smart enough/has been said before. Or, I can remember that if I shut out all voices but those that matter, what I create will be worth the journey regardless. It is a leap of faith every single time.
While many of my friends do not write, they face their own blank page. It’s called life. It is a leap of faith every single time.
A select few are Picassos and Rembrandts, Renoirs and O’Keefes. They take whatever life throws at them and they create beauty on a page. Children who find themselves, homes that are havens of peace, callings instead of careers. These are my inspiration, my posse, the ones I call at 2 a.m.
Many more are in the middle, scribbling on a page they have forgotten is theirs to create. Complaining about how tired that makes them. Using one color while they ignore the other 119 hues in the box they were provided.
And a few have stopped even the scribbling. They stare at their page, unsure of whether to erase what is there and begin anew.
It is the last group I worry about the most. When the stare becomes trancelike, when they forget they are a co-creator with the Divine—well, that is usually when things fall apart. Because if we stubbornly dig our heels in when the winds of change begin to blow, it does not stop the winds. They blow just as much as if we cooperated. They buffet us this way and that—and we end up where we would have had we not fought those gusts. We are just more bruised and shaken than we needed to be.
I strive for O’Keefe, continuing to find new colors in my box. I continue to create in ways others relate to, as well as in some they completely misunderstand.
All is well, though, as long as I keep creating. The blank page is not winning. My designs are of my own making and they are filling the page. The rest becomes irrelevant.
candidkay 
❤ !
Right back ‘atcha for just about everything I read from you:)!
As always my dear friend, you’ve put your foot in this, how powerful!
Inspirational!
Very well said! Cheers to “…filling the page.”
Here’s to a creative week!
I’ll toast to that:). Let it begin!
I agree that so many people die with the music still inside them, as the saying goes. Those blank pages stay blank when they could’ve been filled with so much life. Lovely post.
I think it’s easy, in the hustle and bustle of daily life, to forget we don’t have forever.
Your pages overflow with art and grace and grit and love and wisdom. You’re the full spectrum, my dear! And you are so beautiful. xoxo
Well thank you, friend:). I might say the same about yours! So much beauty in what you create, whether on the page or in life.
A fantastic analogy to life. What will we each do with our blank page? Made me think.
One of the best things you can say to a writer–that she made you think:). Thank you!
Love this part right here….”when they forget they are a co-creator with the Divine—well, that is usually when things fall apart. Because if we stubbornly dig our heels in when the winds of change begin to blow, it does not stop the winds. They blow just as much as if we cooperated. They buffet us this way and that—and we end up where we would have had we not fought those gusts. We are just more bruised and shaken than we needed to be.” This is so true!
I agree with you… we need to create and enjoy the process without worrying so much about the blank page or whether it will be good enough. We create and that is good!
Thanks for these words!
Thank you! Here is to brave creation (if not fearless) and braving the winds of change.
What a creative analogy and encouragement to use all the hues in the box. Thank you 🙂
I’m glad it resonated with you. Here’s to using the full rainbow today:).
The creative process…sometimes I feel like it’s killing me, but really it is keeping me alive.
I know! I sometimes wish it wasn’t so arduous:). But I think that may be part of the bit that changes us and makes us grow.
So true! We do have a blank page to create everyday. Choices, attitudes and beliefs all influence how it looks. I am very grateful to know this. Thanks Kristine.
I’m so glad i’ve learnt to create too. Very wise words.
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by my blog. Here’s to a wealth of creation . . .
The blank page is exciting and scary, but I agree that the important thing is to keep filling it and to see where that will lead 🙂
Always and forever O’Keefe.
Yep. Love those that were artists in every sense–life included.