Letting the Spark Lead

In last week's studio notes video, I shared a letter I received from a friend. He's a writer and, after attending my exhibition opening, he wrote:

"This is what I got powerfully last night ... we creatives have insights, visions - these are flashes, bursts - and need to be transferred into pictures or writing and I think what people do is try and contextualize them into what they think is normal. They take these bursts and shoehorn them into stage sets or landscapes or stale stories or pictorial constructions and that burst may still be there - but essentially it's weakened, diluted, overlaid with 'stuff.'What you have discovered/unlocked is how to let that spark lead."

 This is true, but my friend doesn't know how often I battle with this. He doesn't know that even when you have experienced the magic of being led by the spark, you still have an urge to retreat into your comfort zone. I am feeling that way at the moment. My last series finished with three paintings that were totally led by the spark.I just sold one of them.There's a story behind this painting. I struggled with it. I thought about it. I took an initial spark and pummelled into submission. I had ideas for the piece about halfway through - I was going to submit it for a particular show - I even came up with the title well before I was finished. Of course that was the death knell. Buckling under the weight of all that thought and planning and expectation, my painting died.After a few weeks, I sanded it back (for the third time!). That's when I felt a call to go in with red. At first I was just playing, trying things out. This time there were no expectations. I simply followed whatever happened on the board - I responded to the spark rather than trying to tame it.The end result was a painting that surprised and delighted me. It led to two more in the same vein ... and it's currently influencing the start of a new series.But even though it felt so good to me, I had doubts as to whether anyone else would respond. Surely it was too abstract, too crazy, too ...RED.On Friday evening, I took a visitor into the gallery for a private viewing and she made a beeline for that painting. Long story short: it is now hers, reinforcing my belief that when we truly let the spark lead, we make work that connects with others on a visceral level.And that means it's time for me to stop procrastinating and get back into my studio. New work is waiting to be discovered. The spark is tugging at my sleeves. And that means - provided I can keep myself from getting in the way - exciting things will happen.