On the television program MN Original,I watched Minneapolis-based painter Eddie Hamilton use his white paint covered hand to spread the color over a finished painting. I gaped. I may have gasped aloud. I was dumbfounded. Why would an artist injure his creation?
Hamilton said it was freeing destroying a painting and then building on top of it. This option avoids making the piece precious and amplifies the happiness found in the creative process. He said if he owned one canvas, he would paint a picture then cover it over again and make a blank, fresh canvas to paint on.
I’m awed by this mindset. My early novel drafts have been a bounty of creativity and fun. The editing has been a drag. I want to appreciate and relish the editing process and reduce my anxiety regarding the final creation. In 2019, I focused on a deliberate mind shift regarding revision. I recognize the irony. I don’t know if I have the fervor to obliterate one of my completed novels, but I can edit and release with a more upbeat attitude and create space for the next part of my creative adventure.