As a creative we have the tendency to hit a wall. A couple months ago I experienced moments of self-doubt, high anxiety, pressure, and aloneness. Being in this head space while working in the environment I do… can be very difficult. A lot of what I create is for other’s enjoyment; and they pay for it. There’s a lot of pressure to get it right each time.
I had a conversation with a friend about when we enter these “down” moments in life and we can’t seem to pin point exactly where it comes from. We talked about how (for some of us), it shakes our world a bit. We feel stuck, but then at some point we feel good again. Or at least better. I decided to take a step back and look at what triggers the change. Specifically, the change of feeling like crap, to then feeling okay again.
Some of you reading this blog post saw Tailored Moments promote a pop-up installation called “Color Wave.” I was inspired by all the pop-up selfie museums and really wanted to make my mark in the trend. This has been on my mind for almost a year now but I somehow always talked myself out of doing it. I had literally come up with ideas, a mood board, and even purchased items for the project. With all that... still, nothing came out of it.
During the moment of being down I decided to sit in the Tailored Moments Studio and face the wall that was blocking my creativity. I had to face what was bothering me mentally and pretty much effecting my work.
-That takes courage.
At some point I got up! I started throwing things on the wall, I purchased paint and started to add some color. Through this process I realized I was healing myself. I had figured out what the trigger was that caused me to feel a little better again. That was all about creating!
Once Color Wave was completed, we started promoting! We placed it everywhere and set an opening date. However, for some reason things kept getting in the way. It was almost like the universe didn’t want me to put out this project. It was at that point I noticed that my reasoning for doing this installation was all wrong.
This project was all about me and my healing, not about profit. I like to take advantage of moments like this to share, in hopes that another creative like yourself will connect with it. During this process I felt discourage and intimated by other people doing projects just like Color Wave. I felt I wasn’t equipped or creative enough to just go for it. Each time someone else jumped on the trend I doubted myself more and more.
I’m so proud of this small installation because for the first time I truly feel like an artist.
If you live in the Houston area, I invite you to visit Color Wave for yourself. I hope you enjoy this installation just as much as I did creating it!
General admission is free, however donations are greatly appreciated. Please visit the event site for more details.
Cheers,
Let’s Party!
Servanté Cook
Photographer: Gerrick Walker