The Act Of Unfolding

11/30/20254 min read

As autumn unfolds its last chapter of colors, my latest paintings celebrating seasonal shifts of the landscapes in and around me have come to fruition.

I began working on these small works in June shortly after we moved to Liguria. The nature has been unfolding in front of me in the most magical way. Unlike Florida where seasonal shifts were marked by variations of blue and green, Ligurian highlands brought to light a myriad of colors in the last six months. It is quite captivating to see the nature around me revealing itself. It is equally interesting to see how it manifested itself onto the canvas.

I think of creativity as an act of unfolding. The first draft leads to a number of revisions before the final version of an essay takes shape. Initial ideas are followed by multiple rounds of brainstorming before the final project comes about. The first layers on canvas get overtaken by new colours before the final composition emerges.

I have always found the creative process quite mysterious. What triggers the beginning of a painting? What guides the choice of colors, materials, and marks? What tells us when to stop?

The last five years of painting have taught me three fundamental things about creativity.

1. We must begin.

Nothing is created out of nothing. We must go into ourselves and find the will and conviction to begin. Start with something - a notebook that you picked up while sightseeing in London, an old box of oil pastels from your last trip to France, a set of watercolors from your childhood memory box. Anything.

2. We must surrender.

Let go of the fear and self doubt. Just listen to your inner voice and follow the flow. Don’t fret mistakes. There are no rules. You are not creating a masterpiece. It is subjective after all. You are creating for yourself, first and foremost.

3. We must do it daily.

Creativity is an ongoing and never ending unfolding of the work. To find it in you, you must make the time to do it daily. ‘Make” is the key word. We never find the time, we have to make it. The same way we make the time to take a shower in the morning. You may start with just an hour a day, but do it daily.

It’s hard to explain the passion, joy, and resilience it takes to keep up a creative practice. I think once you begin creating, it becomes a necessity over time.

If you ever thought about finding creativity within yourself, here is a list of some of my favorite books to get you started. They inspired my creative unfolding over the last five years. I hope they will do the same for you.

From Italy with love,

Anya

P.S. If you are an art collector, curator, or interior designer and wish to explore/acquire my paintings, you may view my available works here or drop me a message via email.

One final thought. Creativity is not a luxury. Neither it is a choice. It is a responsibility. It is also a self permission to travel to a different world - a world where thoughts do not exist. I believe it to be the world where creativity lives. Painting to me is like traveling to that world. It helps me find a sense of interior calm amidst the exterior noise and fills me with a sense of home away from home, regardless of the land I inhabit.

November in Italy, the land we inhabit now, has been filled with a fair share of challenges. A new language to master, new life adjustments to make, new culture to integrate, new mentality to understand, and new projects to create along the way. I can’t wait to find out what unfolds.

How to be an Artist

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ArtFull Postcards is a human-written monthly publication by Anya Baboyedova filled with art, creative inspiration, personal notes, studio updates and new work announcements.