The artistic endeavor is contemplation twice rewarded.

I wrote that line in a long-ago post about exploration and discovery. So often our creative impulse springs up from an emotion or idea – and then our attempt to express it leads to others that surprise us.

In a discussion with fellow creatives a while back, one advice-giver urged that we talk about our projects with everyone we encounter, even in line at the grocery store. Her point was that it feeds our own energies and may find us a few interested “followers.” The suggestion didn’t ring helpful for me, maybe because imagining myself on the receiving end in that checkout line makes me feel sort of put upon. 

It’s true, though, that in my everyday interactions, if others ask what I’ve been up to, I’m only too eager to tell about it. This post is an iteration of that, because if you are a follower of this blog, you have, by implication, already asked. And if you’ve been here long, you’re aware my creative energies have been diverted for some time to a separate longform project.

In other words, I’ve been out exploring.