It takes as long as it takes

It takes as long as it takes. I had the pleasure of working under Tim Cisneros out of San Francisco a number of years ago. Tim is an incredible artist, mentor and friend. He always has the right words to say, and they are usually said with a twinkle in his eye. During my week long stay with him he imparted a vast amount of knowledge about being a working artist, all of which I pass on to my students and use in my daily creative adventures. But the words I am reflecting on this morning were some of the most simple and powerful that he ever shared with me.

We were driving in his truck, Tim driving, cigarette hanging loosely out of the corner of his mouth and his dog Shasta between us, we were chatting philosophically about blacksmithing, art, and life, when I posed the question that many aspiring artists often struggle with "how long does it take?" By that I mean how long does a project take to complete. Tim in his calm, wise, thoughtful manner, slowly turned his head to me and in an almost playful manner simply replied, "it takes as long as it takes". Those simple words spoken from someone who has lived their life creating and art deeply reverberated in me. Prior to this I was putting pressure on myself to get the job done and race through them. It never occurred to me to really feel into each project, let go of time and enjoy the process, get lost in the moments of creation, feel that surge of excitement as things come together. In this new age of constant change I really belive that these are words that we can all use these days. It takes as long as it takes.

Please check out Tim's Instagram feed for more about him and his work.