After finishing my latest piece I decided that it was about time that I updated the record of my art work. The last recorded piece in the log was dated December 2020, and on the basis of this I thought for a moment that there would be a great deal to do …. but that was far from being the case. In fact, I had done nothing at all for seven months! The stimulus that got me going again was the ikon-painting course I attended in July, which kindled the interest in egg tempera, and this has led to a spate of activity starting in September of this year.
I had been vaguely aware that the current Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in a general depression of both spirits and activity, but it came as a shock to realise just how dramatic had been its impact on my activity. That really is remarkable. It underlines the observation I made in a recent post that external stimulation is necessary for artistic creativity, and that some inner source of inspiration is not enough. I had not appreciated before today, however, just how clearly that point is made by measurement of my work.
I seem to be up and running again now, but it does raise the question as to whether, in the event of some similar period of enforced seclusion, something could be done to counter this kind of depression.
* I made a similar point about three weeks ago, but without being aware of the numerical measurement of the problem.