Is there anything worse than being stuck? We’re not talking traffic jam stuck, stuck between a rock and a hard place, or even your shorty’s Ipod stuck on replay. We’re talking about being stuck—creatively.
Not a one of us is immune from it. You know the drill. You stare at the canvas. You think…deeply. You get coffee. You check your email. You start a load of laundry. You pay a bill. You call your Aunt Paula. You think about the plight of polar bears in the Arctic. You wonder if bluebonnets would grow in Michigan. You think your second toe might be longer than your big toe. And yet nothing emerges. The canvas stares blankly back at you. It clearly has the upper hand in this stand-off.
What’s a poor, starving (insert your calling) to do when she finds herself in such a bind?
Fear not. Zuzu and Mrs. Eaves present the fool-proof: Birthday Candle Trick.
Not a one of us is immune from it. You know the drill. You stare at the canvas. You think…deeply. You get coffee. You check your email. You start a load of laundry. You pay a bill. You call your Aunt Paula. You think about the plight of polar bears in the Arctic. You wonder if bluebonnets would grow in Michigan. You think your second toe might be longer than your big toe. And yet nothing emerges. The canvas stares blankly back at you. It clearly has the upper hand in this stand-off.
What’s a poor, starving (insert your calling) to do when she finds herself in such a bind?
Fear not. Zuzu and Mrs. Eaves present the fool-proof: Birthday Candle Trick.
- Step 1 Locate one (1) birthday candle (color and design of your choice).
- Step 2 Locate match (or for us encaustic enthusiasts, a torch will do in a pinch)
- Step 3 Light birthday candle.
- Step 4 Do something of a creative nature (preferably in your studio or workspace) for the length of time it takes the birthday candle to burn out: mix colors, clean brushes, doodle, just paint that little section in the corner that hardly matters, whatever. The only rule is that you keep doing something for the entire time the candle is burning.
- Step 5 Be prepared to be dazzled and amazed because you will never actually see the candle flame go out. No one ever has. Studies show that the miniscule amount of time it takes the birthday candle to extinguish itself is all the average artist needs to get the creative juices flowing again. Like magic, the creative wheels are rolling along (whether they are creaking or zipping along is irrelevant).
Neither Mrs. Eaves nor Zuzu can take credit for the Birthday Candle Trick—they learned it from Andrew Long (clearly they both benefited from his workshop because his words keep echoing in their ears—check out his workshops for yourself: Creative Arts Austin). For once, they both agree on something. Plus, as Zuzu would like to point out, it’s just kind of festive to keep birthday candles in your studio.
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