Creative Partnership

So this past weekend Sarah and I were busy designing our invitations and a website for our upcoming wedding. It was fun, and struck me that my romantic partner might also be a promising creative collaborator in the future-- it hadn't really dawned on me before that!

Yup. Sarah painted this. She interned at the
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum during college,
and the artist has been a big influence.
Me jealous?... Artwork by Sarah Klein.
All rights reserved.

You see, as many similarities as we have, we can also be quite different. I tend to be the "ham," while she gets absorbed in great books; Britpop and classic soul caught my ear, while she was raised on folk; I tend towards design and keeping organized, while she is more craft-minded and likes things where she can reach them. We're both artists, but we have different approaches. This became all too clear to me when we attempted to carve a pumpkin together one Halloween. Wow... now that was a "challenging" exercise!

But we are still artists in temperament, and that is a common bond that is hard to ignore. We met on the dance floor, and sometimes have to remember the "give and take"that is necessary in a partnership. The fact that we are getting married proves that ultimately we realize how good we are for each other. In fact, Sarah has been great for my perfectionistic streak. I remember a few years back when we took our easels up to Olana State Historic Site, the former home of Hudson River School founder Frederic Edwin Church; we took advantage of a beautiful summer day to paint "en plein air" in the style of the artists that came before. We had a stunning view of the Catskill Mountains, but I was a little intimidated-- more about the process than the scenery. Sarah was inspiring to watch as she emptied her oils on to her palette, and just began painting... effortlessly! Maybe I have been hanging out in "Norman Rockwell world" too long, because I was much more methodical about my process, and was not really enjoying it as much as I should have. It was only when I started to follow my painting partner's example that I loosened up and could enjoy the day. I may be a little too hard on myself, as oil painting is something I haven't really done too much... but I sure did admire Sarah's approach-- it definitely made an impression on this ambitious soul!

Sarah has made me slow down a bit, and not be so concerned with having all the details in place.

Pumpkins in love (I'm pretty sure this is how we looked
when we met)!

I can already feel the great potential that we have as a couple. How nice then to also realize that "creativity," which is so important to me, can also be shared. This past Halloween we bought two pumpkins, but had each of our carvings relate to one another-- "pumpkins in love," Sarah's mother commented. The seeds are certainly there... here's looking forward to my life blooming in many new and unexpected directions.