So this is Comfort Work!

In his October 18th (2022) article, Austin Kleon introduces the idea of 'Comfort Work. It occurs during the in-between times when our creative spurts and productivity take a back seat or are distressingly missing. He calls the creative activity/efforts made during this in-between time -- Comfort Work. It's during these periods, however long they may be, that Comfort Work provides a sense of solace and soothing -- until the periods of Real Work return. It's somewhat like eating comfort food to gain a sense of well-being during times of stress, loneliness, rejection, etc. until there is relief through change.

This article is so timely because I've been in this Comfort Work space for about a month now. Daily, I enter my studio space and have no sense of direction for what to do art-wise, wondering if this is percolation time for a new project, wondering whether my skills will decline because I'm not using them, and finding things to do that aren't my Real Work. Some of those things have included watching movies, sewing (that I haven't done in years), writing letters, and doing bits of art--but not in the ways I was working before this period's onset. Some of the bits of art I've done during the month are in the photos at the end of this post.

As a creative, have you experienced this kind of thing? If so, how does it express in your world?

Austin's Comfort Work article

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Cay Denise

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