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.
Posted by Denise | Chez Danisse at 12:08 PM
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22 comments:

  1. Sam @ The Second LunchDecember 14, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    Oh dear lord, I love that.

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  2. shariDecember 14, 2011 at 12:29 PM

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

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  3. EmilyDecember 14, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    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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  4. TracyDecember 14, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    That about sums up my day job.

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  5. amelia from z tasty lifeDecember 14, 2011 at 1:07 PM

    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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  6. Michele | Cooking At HomeDecember 14, 2011 at 1:18 PM

    You are very good at paying attention.

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  7. ChristopherDecember 14, 2011 at 3:26 PM

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

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  8. JanisDecember 14, 2011 at 6:55 PM

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

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  9. Elsa MayDecember 14, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    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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  10. LeciawpDecember 14, 2011 at 9:46 PM

    I see you as a creator, too.

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  11. kate (littlehouse)December 15, 2011 at 1:30 AM

    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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  12. pierreDecember 15, 2011 at 2:38 AM

    archaeologist and poetry can match...

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  13. Anne MarieDecember 15, 2011 at 5:26 AM

    why do you think that...?

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  14. RachelDecember 16, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    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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  15. nancy at good food mattersDecember 17, 2011 at 8:35 AM

    Yes.Yes! hence, co-creator.

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  16. mika @ Blue and the GirlDecember 17, 2011 at 10:21 PM

    A fine art indeed!

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  17. the LadyDecember 18, 2011 at 4:45 PM

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

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  18. Rachael | The Slow-Cooked SentenceDecember 24, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    I agree with Christopher about your talent for bricolage.

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  19. ElaineJanuary 2, 2012 at 12:20 PM

    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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  20. E.January 9, 2012 at 11:41 AM

    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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  21. Denise | Chez DanisseJanuary 10, 2012 at 7:15 PM

    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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  22. Denise | Chez DanisseJanuary 11, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    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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