What is this self inside us, the silent observer.
Severe and speechless critic, who can terrorize us and urge us on to futile activity
And in the end, judge us still more severely
For the errors into which his own reproaches drove us?

- T.S Elliot, The Elder Statesman

Upon reading this early this morn, I smiled knowingly. The past few days I have been working on several ideas for submitting to this upcoming exhibition. I very nearly chucked in the proverbial towel. I haven’t got the funds to spend on new printing or framing. Some artists out there would scoff at this I’m sure. Well you can stick your scoff , I have no urge to be a martyr. Besides, necessity can be the Mother of Invention. I pushed each idea, a few times I thought I had it right, yet I felt no shine or depth. Pffft! I thought. But late last night before I reclined to watch my nightly dose of Breaking Bad (yes finally!) I was packing up my work and then the formula worked, out of the darkness….the complete picture fell into place. I was aiming for a mixed media construct but instead I’m upcycling a small oval picture frame and using a print of a kooky previously unexhibited piece. The exercise has at least brought other untapped thoughts and concepts to the fore.  Why some ideas take such a winding road before revealing themselves?? I don’t really know. Perhaps it’s just as this T.S Eliot quote states, that my inner critic judges so harshly that my first intentions cringe in fear of persecution. It very nearly was a futile activity. I had actually spoken the words out loud “It’s not happening, I wont do it” and for a minute I believed the bullshit!!  Today I am up early painting the frame for this piece before I trundle off to work.  I have 2 days to write my submission. After that it is in the hands of the  judges. Bony fingers crossed that I pass the next test.