Hi there!
Tomorrow is the last day of the launch for Petronella.Art Magazine before we head into regular posting schedule (1-2 articles/week), and I’ve been contemplating on how to best end the celebration of this artsy new venture 🎉
Every time that I’ve started to write something I’ve kept coming back to the notion of “why”.
Why an art magazine?
Why art?
Why even bother about creativity?
About two months ago I wrote an essay for my other publication with that exact title “Why bother about creativity”, which may actually be my favorite essay to date.
It also perfectly answers the question of why Petronella.Art Magazine matters to me and how it may matter to you too, so I thought what better than to share it with you as well as I imagine there’s a great chance you haven’t had a chance to read it yet 💖
And THANK YOU to everyone who has already joined me! The magazine got a “bestseller” badge from Substack (the platform I use to host this magazine) yesterday and it’s all thanks to you!
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Why bother?
George Mallory, when asked about why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, famously answered:
“Because it’s there”
Disclaimer: Mallory, a British mountaineer in early to mid 1920’s, sadly lost his life to his passion, which is not the point of this essay. The point is on the power of a dream deemed unnecessary by the world, but unavoidable for the initiated. Because true passion is rarely (if ever) logical… it’s just there as present as the air we breathe.
Why embroider on your clothes when you can buy it ready (for cheaper!) in the store?
Why bother to write and build an Art Magazine from scratch when you might be looking at years of work before it bears fruit?
Yeah… WHY BOTHER?!
Because the best things in life are rarely logical. Or based on rational reasoning.
They’re emotional.
They’re passionate.
They’re driven by a deeper sense of intuition that tells you something along the lines:
“I know my dear, this makes zero sense in the context of what you’re supposed to do, but I think you should still do it anyway, just because”.
I’m a maker and artist in every sense. I start a million projects, especially when I don’t have time for it. And sometimes (frequently) I ask myself; Why?
I rarely have an answer to that.
Like, why did I start to wrap rope around this ugly grey pot merely hours before our departure to Paris last week? (Finished product will hopefully be pictured in the near future… potentially next year… haha!).
Or why did I cut off the fabric on the lampshade below without a proper plan for when the new one will be stitched in place?
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Fun fact: There’s a metallic stamp on the wooden part of the foot which reads “1873”, and I seriously dream that this is already the upcycled edition of an old oil lamp from the 19th century… imagine all the stories that foot holds from having potentially been quietly put in the corner of a living room for 151 years!?!?!?
JUNE UPDATE: The first version of this article was published 2 months ago, and I have *excitedly been able to complete the new lampshade cover. I used the previous cover as my pattern and cut out the new in the same size - it worked beautifully!
So why do I do it? Why do we do it?
Because to create is like drinking an energy juice, where you can physically feel the creativity flush through your veins and bring life to every cell of your body and mind.
It’s an inexplicable process, yet I dare to say, every creative feels it on a regular. It’s as deeply engrained in us as the need to eat and sleep.
Similar to what Remy Bazerque wrote in his brilliant declaration of writer’s block “to write for the author is like the prayer for the priest”, to create is as vital for the creative to thrive as any necessity for survival physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I see these new projects as a healthy sign that I’m on the other side of a long dark winter.
When you’re not able to allocate the resources or capacity to create, you know, as a creative, that you’re deep knee in your shit.
You also know that you need to find ways to access the juice to feel alive yet again. Because nothing lasts forever. And there’s both melancholy and hope in that with beauty in both.
Your ability to regain strength through creative expression is a godsend remedy that I’m forever grateful to have access to.
So, why bother?
Well, because the best things in life are rarely logical yet they’re essential for our wellbeing and purpose in this life on earth.
Thank you for reading!
Elin, xx
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Does creativity matter to you too?
Thank you so much for having read along throughout the launch of this new Art Magazine!
If creativity matters to you too, you’ll find yourself right AT HOME in this new cosy corner of the internet (you can always read previous issues of the magazine through the web too via the link: petronellaart.substack.com)
Your support means the absolute world to me and my family (happy wife, happy life AND; Happy mama, happy children) 💜
Ps. You can stay on for as long or short as suits you and your creativity 💜
Direct links to the first welcoming gifts for upgraded subscribers:
Slow Life Dream collection (3 original drawings + 3 embroidery pattern adaptations)
Embroidery pattern of “Summer in Paris”
Warmest wishes (this is a real bye-bye for this one haha),
Elin
I relate! There is definitely an energy unlocked when I see a creative opportunity and without thinking act. Totally a "why not?" moment. I've had a few of those recently myself. Why not organize a live stream zoom artist expo with young artists in Uganda with only one month to go and no technology solution? Why not draw a portrait a day of people who do amazing things but we never hear about on social media (or if we do they are nameless and have no individual story)? Why not crochet dozens of water bottle holders to raise money for a rainwater tank in Kenya. My point is yours ... Those why nots (not all, but some) are life changing in ways that are often unexpected. I LOVE your embroidery! I'm sure that elephant is a head turner!
I love this new venture, it really speaks to how creative and giving you are to your community!