When will we get there?

"Old Reliable," 3 x 2, ink on wood
Judith, Feb. '10

Remember when you were a kid and you would ask your parents, from the back seat, on that interminable car trip, "When will we get there?" That question sometimes pops up when we work long and hard on our creative project. I just came off a marathon writing project where I was a semi-ghost writer. The project was sent to the publisher last Friday. So, I knew when it was due, but with my own book there is no due date, just milestone, daily, and weekly goals as I go along. And the question is a variant: "When will it be finished?" How do we know when we have that piece of art, that score, that novel really polished and done? I'm not sure except I know with my art that it is a matter of practice and instinct, and in the early days my teacher Fred Reichman helping me to decide. In the ghost writing project, though I'm glad it's done, a part of me wishes there was a little more time to proof read. I'm was not satisfied 100% when it went in, and I'm thinking perhaps that's when we know. When we feel satisfied. I feel that way now about the first quarter of my own book. It feels just about there. When I'm close to finishing a painting, I'll put it in a different place in the house to just look at it for a few days. I usually see something to tweak with that different pair of "observer eyes." Then, when I don't see anything amiss or to add, I just know it's done. Have you found a way to know when your piece is done? Let me know. It's an art in itself to know when we are there.