unstuck

I love these words in a letter by artist Sol Le Witt to an unknown painter in the early 1960s , Eva Hesse who wrote to him asking for advice on how to get unstuck.

“Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting,fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, gasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, rumbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning…searching, perching, besmirching, grinding grinding grinding away at yourself.

Stop it and just DO…

Try tickle something inside you, your “weird humor.” You belong in the most secret part of you. Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool. If you fear, make it work for you – draw and paint your fear and anxiety. And stop worrying about big, deep things such as “to decide on a purpose and way of life..”

You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, empty. Then you will be able to DO! I have much confidence in you and even though you are tormenting yourself, the work you do is very good. Try to do some BAD work. The worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let everything go to hell.”

Eva Hesse abandoned her painting career and went on to create sculptures and became a major artist by the the time she was 30. Sadly, Hesse had only a few short years in which to fulfill her creative vision. She died of cancer, in 1970, at 34.