How is waiting perceived as a conscious, aesthetic practice? What parallels are there between waiting and the creative process of making?

Waiting is a fundamental human experience that unfolds different meanings in different cultural and artistic contexts. The question of how waiting can be perceived as a conscious, aesthetic practice opens up perspectives on the connection between temporal experience and creative design. It is possible to examine the extent to which waiting can be understood as a reflected state that, like the creative process, encompasses phases of expectation, uncertainty and transformation. Both waiting and art production require patience, openness to the unexpected and the ability to use uncertainty productively. In this context, the challenge arises not only to view waiting situations as passive moments, but to actively integrate them into artistic or aesthetic processes. Waiting can be perceived as a conscious, aesthetic practice that invites reflection and creativity and runs parallel to the creative process itself. As Yoo suggests, waiting can be transformed from a mechanical, purposeless state into a living experience that is of intrinsic value and allows the individual to experience the richness of waiting (Yoo, 2022). This notion is in line with Martin-Mattera's discussion of anticipation as a crucial element of creation, where the act of waiting fosters a dynamic interplay between desire and reality, ultimately leading to new creative insights (Martin-Mattera, 2013). This corresponds to the concept of anticipation in the creative process, where waiting becomes a space for potential and the emergence of new ideas, as discussed by Patrick Martin-Mattera. Farman further contextualizes waiting within societal frameworks, highlighting how it disrupts conventional narratives of productivity and thus can enable a deeper engagement with time and existence (Farman, 2018). Matchett and Okech's poetry illustrates the emotional weight of waiting and emphasizes its role in social and personal contexts, which can inspire artistic expression and collaborative reflection (Matchett & Okech, 2015). The concept of waiting is explored here as a liminal space, further emphasizing its role in coping with uncertainty and fostering hope for change. Taken together, these perspectives emphasize waiting as fertile ground for creativity, where anticipation and reflection meet to enrich the human experience. The ‘in-between time’ is also seen as a time of possibility, where waiting allows for the coexistence of calculation and uncertainty, and the emergence of new social and material contexts. (In the Meantime, 2023).

Ralf Edelmann