Wednesday, December 14, 2011

when I truly pay attention

dust and cupcake, 2011

I thought I was a creator, but when I truly pay attention I realize I'm more of an archaeologist, simply digging to find what already exists, dusting it off, and looking at it in a new way.

22 comments:

  1. and you are so very good at it. however, i see you as a creator, too.

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  2. It's hard to create something totally new but what matters is how you say and present it. I totally think you're creative! Love the knitted cupcake and jealous of all your talents.

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  3. your shovel is magic! and archaeologists after all unearth and re-create history in a whole new way... for the ones that do not pay attention.

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  4. I think you are also quite good at bricolage. Plus, I like that word, bricolage.

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  5. That's what makes your writing so good...

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  6. Hmmm... it's a bit like the chicken or the egg ...what came first, is anything original, and so on... Perhaps it's about taking what has been before (because is anything really new), and looking at it in a new way, or a different light... Either way, new or viewed anew, I like the way that you see things, and how this in turns makes me look at things in a new or different light...

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  7. yep, that makes you a creator in my eyes. bricolage: I'm going to find a way to use that today.

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  8. archaeologist and poetry can match...

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  9. Hmmmm...I'll have to think on this one. At first glance, I agree, but I do believe that part of being creative is taking what already exists and adding in a little bit (or a lot) of you...making it unique...never to be reproduced by another.

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  10. the cupcake is so cute, i could just eat it!

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  11. I agree with Christopher about your talent for bricolage.

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  12. I read this post last week but only wrote mental comments. I'm here again now, after reading "Living", because a commenter referred to it.

    Yes, you are an archeologist. But I also think of you as a curator. And fine writer of original thoughts. And certainly creative -- sorry to disagree with you :-).

    "Combinatorial creator" is quite a mouthful but the way you look at the world and the relationships you see & share made me think of this Brainpickings post: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/08/01/networked-knowledge-combinatorial-creativity/

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  13. How beautifully put! It has been a while since I visited - life and our move to a new place kept me busy - but I so love coming back to your words and images. They always soothe me.

    x E.

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  14. Anne Marie, I think this because my best work seems to come to me when I am patient, open up the space, and simply listen. It feels as if the ideas already exist out there in the world and I am sometimes lucky enough to find them. Hope that makes sense.

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  15. Elaine, I really enjoyed the article you linked to above. Thank you so much for sending it my way. Very interesting topic.

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