34 Comments
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The Sea in Me's avatar

Lovely Duane, maybe this is applicable to the creative forces in relationships and in living too. Something in The Marginalian today mentioned rising like a mountain from a fault line to change the landscape of our lives. Red hot joy from dead grey rock.

Courageously in art and in living, we might surrender to the beauty in the mess of it.

Experimenting, bothering to keep trying. It's the calling.

Duane Toops's avatar

"Red hot joy from dead grey rock" - F*ck that's gorgeous!! YES! I'm definitely going to have to go find that article. Thanks so much Síodhna! Your always say something poignant and powerful!

The Sea in Me's avatar

That line was me, but the main piece started as blackout poetry on the article, and now it's morphed into something else called 'Verve' for now (!!) Will link back on this.

Duane Toops's avatar

Oh I love that!!

T Van Santāna's avatar

This is, more or less, my ethos. For better or worse 😅

Duane Toops's avatar

Hey you! It’s always so great to see your name pop up! If it wasn’t for this ethos, I’d have no ethos, haha!

Emily Foucart's avatar

And love the new collages. You always surprise me !

Emily Foucart's avatar

Yes to those what ifs. Yes to dimmed colors, random marks, scraps and unfinished business. I feel beauty in their fragility, and their unpopularity moves me, almost as if they were poor abandoned beings. Yeah. Or maybe I'm nuts

Duane Toops's avatar

Emily! Thank you! If you’re nuts then so am I, and I’m glad to be in your good company! “Beauty in their fragility” - that’s so damn good Emily! I love that! Really resonates. Thank you again!

Jill McDougall's avatar

What a great reframe of the mess! I'll take it!!

It's funny- I know the joy is in the process, but haven't thought much about all the physical evidence of it holding its own beauty. I'm going to start looking for that instead of seeing it as clutter or unrealized ideas...!

Duane Toops's avatar

There’s something enthralling and powerful about taking a step back and looking at the evidence of your making. The evidence of the search. Evidence of the longing in our hearts, our heads, and our hands. Evidence that we reached. Evidence that something happened. That something shifted, transformed, and changed. That something was made different than it was before. Evidence that we lived. Evidence that we were here.

Martin Hughes's avatar

I'm fascinated by Marianne Mitchell's videos on YouTube. Her most recent upload shows multiple entirely different—like, *entirely* entirely—iterations of her paintings until reaching the finished piece. And I see each recorded WIP as its own piece.

Here's to the trying! 💚

Duane Toops's avatar

Sounds interesting! I’m not familiar with her! I’ll have to check it out! Thanks for the recommendation.

Jess Ganton-Stanley's avatar

“May you trust the unfinished.” There is a weighty uplift in this statement that feels like a calling. Good one Duane. ✨

Duane Toops's avatar

Oh “a calling” yes! I think you’re on to something there! Thanks Jess!! You’re awesome!!

Jess Ganton-Stanley's avatar

✌️ you are awesome too Duane!

Duane Toops's avatar

Takes one to know one i guess ;-)

morgan grace's avatar

“may you trust the unfinished”… as someone that has been working on a project for years and years I feel this so deeply. there is something sacred in the unfinished, even as I ache for its completion.

Duane Toops's avatar

“Something sacred in the unfinished “ - f*ck that’s good! Thank you so much for that!!

Susanna Musser's avatar

"What if" questions like directions to the truth.

Duane Toops's avatar

So beautifully said! Thank you!

Tammy's avatar

Wonderful post -- love the rough edges within the collages!

We collect, categorize, arrange, recycle, transform, morph... paper in different combinations and permutations. Often when I get to a pivot point I cut part of the collage away and continue. The excerpts go back into the fodder possibilities and become something else. And yes "the unseemly assortment of uncured ideas" is core to the creative process!

Duane Toops's avatar

YES! You depict it so perfectly!! I love it when even the detritus becomes a catalyst! Thanks so much for this!

Manuela Thames's avatar

So good!

Duane Toops's avatar

Aww Thank you! I’m so glad you like it!!

Julie Steward's avatar

A wonderful thing to write!

Duane Toops's avatar

Julie! It’s so great hearing form you! I love the energy and positivity in your comments! Thanks so much for it!

LeeAnn Pickrell's avatar

This is so beautiful. I breathed a sigh of relief reading it.

Duane Toops's avatar

LeeAnn, thank you! I love that this landed as a kind of letting go for you. That moves me in the best way! Thank you again!

Patris's avatar

You are a creator, and your thoughts here more real than any formal instruction.

Duane Toops's avatar

Your support is amazing. I know I’ve told you that before. But I just can’t emphasize it enough and I can express enough gratitude for it either. Thank you so much!

Patris's avatar

Duane, you are extraordinary. And i recognize it more and more as I follow you.

Duane Toops's avatar

Absolutely grateful for you!

Patris's avatar

Back at you dear Duane!