12. Perspiration

On Saturday, Helen took me to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, which are not quite gardens at all but a building and adjacent yard covered in mosaic installations--walls, ceilings and floors. Isaiah Zagar has been creating art since 1959 when he was 19 years old. He has made it his mission to make the city of Philadelphia into "a labyrinthine mosaic museum." The Magic Gardens is an amazing thing to witness up close. Over the course of 14 years, Zagar worked on this multi-level maze of mosaic--bottles, mirrors, glass, bits of sculpture, fragments of found objects, painted tile work, toilets, wheels, cement, pottery. This was truly a labor of love. And at almost 70 years old, Zagar is still working, producing and teaching workshops. Helen and I are serious art lovers and we were so inspired by this place, this artist and his commitment to Philadelphia and to his craft.

Later, when we left the building and began walking down South Street, we noticed dozens of other local buildings on which Zagar has left his mosaic mark. Some of his works cover whole sides of buildings while others just a doorway or facade. This is clearly his passion. Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." Zagar's work made me remember that this is very true. I often will say that I have writer's block or hear other writers or artists saying that they just don't have that creative spark today. But the truth is that sometimes we have to push past that and just get working. If the perspiration, or actual work, is 99% of the battle, then we really don't have the time or the luxury of saying that inspiration hasn't hit. Maybe we just have to work and the inspiration will come somewhere in the midst of it.

Here's the challenge. Is there a project or a piece of a project that you've been wanting to work on but haven't yet gotten that inspirational "spark" you were looking for? What if you were to simply say, "So what? I don't have the spark. Big woop? I'm doing it anyway!" Just begin it. Get your hands dirty. Start at the beginning. And just keep working for, say...an hour. Force yourself to write...or paint...or hammer...or film...or click...or sing. Then, when the hour is over, see how you feel. Not necessarily what you produced. But how you feel. Work off of that momentum. Don't wait for the spark. If you do, you're putting your creative life on hold for something that may never show up. The only thing you have control over is that you show up--ready and willing to work. 

A few more inspirational shots of the mosaic Magic Gardens. Literally every surface was covered. I found the staircases to be really beautiful...up or down any of them and you stepped onto another level or terrace filled with unique images and new nooks and crannies to explore.

Occasionally, you might find something really gorgeous and fully intact stuck into the mix, like this sleeping Buddha. There were also whole lamps, toilets, dolls, bicycle wheels, plates, action figures, and pottery brought back from Zagar's travels.

This bottle wall was really impressive. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the light was shining through all of the bottles and reflecting off the mirrored shards. It was a very bright space, both literally and figuratively.

It really felt like a Wonka Land of mosaic. Every surface was covered. It was actually a bit disorienting at times. At one point, inside one of the indoor rooms, I almost fell down the stairs because I didn't realize they were there. All the mosaics blended into each other making it hard to make out where one surface ended and another began.

I love this shot of Helen standing in the outdoor jungle of mosaic. I especially love the painted tile phrase that Zagar placed way up in the upper right hand corner of the photo. It says, "Isaiah keeps working." He does. And when the going gets tough and the inspiration fades, keep on working. No matter what.