Working With a Theme

Working with a theme was a recent challenge for our artists. We agreed to work on "Miriam" for the Women's Day of Jewish Learning. And since our exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum was just a few weeks before that, we chose a related theme.... "Exodus: Our Journeys."

It sounded good at the time. But then came the reality of creating something. As artists, some of us are accustomed to working "when the inspiration strikes." Sometimes we don't work on art until that magic moment comes. But when a required theme meets a finite deadline, it's a new ballgame! Many of us felt stress, some of us waited till the last possible minute, but all of us came up with something! And most of us felt really GOOD about the resulting art.

Of course, some artists actually use something called "discipline," forcing themselves to work on their art every day, or at least every week. Some people keep a written journal of ideas, so they have something to turn to when they feel un-inspired. But for some of us, this was a distinctly new experience, creating art on demand. It might sound hollow or artificial, but actually it was exhilarating. I think all of us felt really good about stretching as artists, and growing as professionals.

But still, I hope we'll have a LOT of lead time for our next themed exhibit!!


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