Feeding the Artist's Soul

Incoming! A perfect missive from Joy Bridy. "This time of year, my desk is covered with seed catalogs, those dreams of summers-to-be. This is also the time of year when I start taking scissors to those catalogs, making collages of flowers and whatnot, and send them off to friends near and far. I do this just for the fun of it.

Tim Wohleber, twig furniture maker, has a habit of homemade pizza every friday. He makes the crust each week, and his family make the pizzas together, just for the fun of it.

Anne Rule Thompson, ceramic and encaustic artist, makes fancy fondant cakes, mimic-ing the natural world, complete with crocuses and river scenes. These cakes are for friends and family, just for the fun of it.

In a world that tends to commercialize, monetize, and specialize everything within reach, there are countless creative and fun things that we can do in our lives because we enjoy doing them. We often hear that we have to be ‘talented’ or have taken classes in something to do it, but really, we can do whatever brings us pleasure, and we can do it specifically for that pleasure. Believe me, when I pick up a paint brush, it’s not pretty, nor accurate. I pick up that brush because I want to, because it is fun. You’ll never see one of my ‘paintings’ for sale, but you might get one in the mail from me, with a heart-felt letter on the back. So, whatever it is that is calling out to you, ignore any little voices telling you you’re not good, and do it! Most importantly, enjoy doing it."

Joy Bridy

Joy Bridy Pottery www.joybridy.com www.overthemountainstudiotour.com