Sunday, August 29, 2010 – 10:23 pm
The Weekly Press project is over three quarters of the way complete (nearly 800 images of 1000), and it has gone through many phases. Currently it feels like an albatross. When I started the project, my main hope was that new ways of working would surface, but I had no idea what that might look like. As I approached the midway point, the concept of creating time-based work from still images became an excitingly real option. At that point, there were many new things to think about as I made single image after image. At that point, the project still served a purpose by allowing me to explore ways in which individual images might relate to each other sequentially in moving pictures.
But now, my thoughts have turned towards the process of taking the things I know into the fourth dimension and into new creative territory (for me). There’s where my brain is going, yet here remains this project I invented for myself to get me to this point. In many ways, it feels done. The result of which is that creating each new image is a real struggle.
I have a plan. It would be hard to come this far and not complete it. I do want to have a series of 1000 images. What I will do is start to work backwards. The first image was a very self conscious step on a long journey, and as I see its end approaching, I want to come full circle. Perhaps even as I review and relate older images with new ones, something still unexpected might happen. (See the current loop of 767 images here.)
At any rate, having nearly circumnavigated the globe, figuratively speaking, the idea of having that first image send out a welcoming flotilla is comforting. While I’m quite ready to be done, I’m looking forward to this last leg. See The Weekly Press here.
Monday, July 19, 2010 – 5:45 pm
Another inspired and inspiring presentation on TED.com. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about how we somehow came to expect quite a lot from creative genius, often to the detriment of creativity. There was a time when it was assumed that the creative gifts artists received came from “outside” themselves. Gilbert describes some examples of reclaiming that notion so that the pressure of creating a masterpiece can be deflected and the ordinary process of “showing up” to do the work can carry on.
I’m sure you’ve heard many an artist claim something to the effect that they have no idea where an inspiration came from. I’ve certainly experienced that myself. There may be all sorts of study, areas of interest, lines of pursuit that an artist puts in as part of their “showing up” for the job, but often there’s just a gift that lands on the plate unexpected and without return address. In her presentation, Gilbert beautifully describes the balance of consistent hard work and moments of genius.
Monday, July 12, 2010 – 3:54 pm
An excellent article in Newsweek describes America’s declining scores in creativity. As I’ve been contemplating a subject for the next post on this blog, I’ve been battling a voice in my head that wants to convince me that making art is pointless. It’s not the first time I’ve run into such battles. Actually, there have been many over the years and yet I keep finding a way to press on.
One experiment described in the Newsweek article echos this battle. Those that have a hard time finding solutions to problems are often full of despair and anxiety. Interestingly, while scientist say some might be born with creative dispositions, there are elements that can be learned (taught). Creativity, to quote the article, “requires divergent thinking (generating many unique ideas) and then convergent thinking (combining those ideas into the best result).” If you’ve ever chosen any number of Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies, you’ve possibly come across the one that suggests making an exhaustive list and doing the last thing on it.
Sometimes it seems like making a list with one item and doing the first thing on it is also a good strategy. Talking about creativity can be a lot like dancing about architecture, to paraphrase Steve Marin.