The weather has been a little chaotic in SW Florida lately — just enough that I can’t actually work the way I normally do.
It’s been cold enough for the paint to clump on the water, and so windy that the spray paint ends up everywhere except where I want it. Don’t get me wrong — I love this kind of weather. My art does not.
Which means my usual process has basically come to a stop.
And it’s been driving me a little crazy.
There’s something frustrating about wanting to create, having ideas overflowing, and just… not being able to follow through. Not because of a lack of motivation, but because the conditions just aren’t right.
But I’ve realized something during this pause — just because I’m not actively making finished pieces doesn’t mean I’m not creating.
It just looks a little different right now.
Instead of dipping glass, I’ve been testing ideas.
Small baby food jars that might turn into suncatchers or wind chimes.
Jar lids that might become coasters.
Different bases, different materials, and different ways to make something functional out of what I already have.
I’ve also been working on the parts of this that don’t involve paint — designing business cards, thinking about how I want to present my work, and even looking into local art fairs.
Some of it works. Some of it doesn’t.
Twine seemed like a good idea until it didn’t reach the edges or fit through the holes. Foam might work, but I won’t know until I test it more and cut it cleanly. Some ideas sound great in theory and fall apart the second you try them.
But that’s part of it.
This stage of the process is quieter. It doesn’t produce finished pieces right away, and it’s not the part that usually gets shared. But it’s where a lot of the thinking happens.
It’s where ideas get tested, adjusted, and sometimes scrapped completely — where big dreams sometimes meet reality and other times turn into something chaotically beautiful.
It’s easy to think creativity only happens when something is finished — when there’s a piece to show, photograph, or list.
But sometimes creativity looks like experimenting.
Like testing.
Like research.
Like trying something that doesn’t work and figuring out why.
Sometimes it looks like waiting for the weather to cooperate.
And as frustrating as that can be, it’s still part of the work.
