the art of collaboration

My husband Andy and I are different in just about every single way but some how we manage to always come together in the best of ways. This last year- with the baby, the move and the challenges that occur when you make big changes- we've had to learn and re-learn how to be partners. Spending all day every day as stay at home parents, business partners and a married couple is hard work and it takes a lot of compromise. We are still figuring it all out and most days we drive each other CRAZY but we are slowly getting accustomed to our new normal. 

The most profound change that has come from this transition is discovering how great we are at collaborating with each other. From parenting decisions to to business decisions to daily stuff, it turns out we can come together with our individual strengths and make great things happen. Lately we have taken our collaboration even farther and started making more art together and collaborating on art can be challenging! You have to give up some of the control, trust one another, give each other room for expression and somehow find common ground. But if you can pull it off- the creative process takes over, you are able to problem solve together, your differences blend together, there is laughter, peace and the calm that comes with losing yourself in the simplicity of creativity. Before you know it- you've made magic!

This painting is for our bedroom and something we have been planning for the last few months- a large piece that brings together both of our creative strengths. We reserved a couple of days, set up a camera, pushed record and captured hours of our life and the process of working together (even Lucy got in on the action)! While I have hours of footage (and the painting is still being worked and reworked) here is a small peek into our collaboration

Alisa and Andy COLLABORATION from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.