The Joy of Creating

I find that creating brings me such joy - a deep seated happiness that makes my heart sing and my spirit soar.  I greatly admire artists who express themselves through their work.  I enjoy seeing things of beauty - whether in nature created by God or in books and magazines, created by fellow artists.  I know what goes into the creating process and the feelings involved are not always pleasant.  Anxiety and fear can play a role as well as hope and love.  When the artist perseveres through all the emotions and the creation is finished, that's when the final joy of creating is experienced.

When I make my dichroic glass cabochons, I not only experience joy in the process of creating but also every time I open the kiln and see the results of my labors.  But it doesn't stop there.  I get another dose of joy when someone tells me they like my work.  And another when they actually purchase one of my cabs and use it in one of their own creations.  And it doesn't stop there because someone may actually purchase that new creation because they love it and share it with others who enjoy it as well.  That is a lot of experienced joy for which I'm very grateful!

Here is just one example of how it all works.  I created a dichroic glass cabochon I called Lava Bed.

Lorraine Hickton of Trinitydj on Etsy purchased the cab and created this wonderful necklace she named after her friend Nancy Dale.

I'm very thankful for all of this shared joy.  It's what keeps me going when I experience the momentary anxiety and fear that come with temporary disappointments.  I hope that viewing this beautiful creation will help spread the joy even more.