The Shape of Your Story

I’m going to say something you’ve heard me say at least a bajillion times before…

I LOVE BOOKS.

I’m always cycling through old favorites and on the hunt for new ones! There are so many wonderful books out there, and I’m determined to read as many of them as I can (and perhaps, one day, add a few more of my own to the mix…) I especially adore reading children’s books (probably due to the nature of the art I love to create!), but it can be difficult finding ones that don’t feel… childish? Books that speak to a childlike heart and imagination, but don’t bore an adult mind, if that makes sense.

I recently stumbled upon a lovely little book called “The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.” A mouthful to say, and a heartful to read. It was the perfect blend of whimsical adventure, cozy characters, and speak-to-the-soul lessons. One quote in particular caught my eye, and made me think of the nature of creatives:

“But no one may know the shape of the tale in which they move… Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”

Oftentimes as artists we can get so caught up in finding “our thing” or “our style”. We want to know what our “story” is, to know the shape of it. Sometimes we even try to force the shape of it. But creativity is a journey. An ever-changing, ever-flowing adventure. The shape of that story is not for us to know at the beginning; it’s for us to find out along the way. We discover mediums we love and ones we don’t. We find subjects that make us cringe to paint and others we can’t paint enough of. Even professional artists and hobby artists who’ve been creating for decades are still discovering the shape of their tale!

So, if you’ve been feeling pressured to find your style, let go of it. Let the shape of the tale reveal itself to you when it’s ready…