During a “career day” some time ago, a fellow artist and I were invited to talk to school children about being an artist for a living (I thought this a pretty bold move by the school). During our presentations, we asked the students of their interest in various arts: music, dance, visual, writing. As the ages went up, we saw the enthusiasm go down, and I reflected on my own trajectory growing up. An experience in third grade might have damaged my pursuit of an art career had it not been for a fourth grade teacher who convinced my folks to put me in art classes outside the school curriculum. In visual art anyway, I avoided life-damaging education.
So when I saw this TED talk by Ken Robinson, I found myself nodding in agreement, and very moved when he described the discovery of a young girl becoming a dancer. The fact is schools really can kill creativity and we need to find a way for it to continue to flourish in young people, or we will be screwed as a species.
In the talk, Ken Robinson says, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” Please visit the TED talk by Ken Robinson.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 – 8:22 pm
Spontaneity in the creation of art has received a lot of good press. It seems logical enough: a process where inspiration from beyond the top level of consciousness is allowed to influence the art. How many times have you heard artists explain they don’t really know where the idea came from? There is a richness of ideas and images that come when open to spontaneity.
But in equal measure, working and reworking and overworking the same composition can produce creative breakthroughs on many different levels. First of all, spending great lengths of time on one particular project gives a greater understanding to the subject matter. Also, there is no reason why a little spontaneity might pop up here and there within those longer time frames. Taking the time to get to know your subject can reveal the unexpected. As an experiment, try taking a work of art to its completion seven times before considering it done. Move it through seven major revisions, or repaint it seven times. Be open to ideas that come up and new works that might be fostered by such in-depth research.
Monday, October 26, 2009 – 10:16 pm
I was recently listening to an interview with a musical synthesis composer (Alessandro Cortini) who mentioned a process of working that allowed for unexpected things to happen that he wasn’t in complete control over and how this would take him to new creative places. I’ve employed this same idea in my visual work. His process involves digitally programming some settings that when used with different “patches” creates something unexpected. The visual equivalent for me is to create complex layered images that when changing the order or blending mode of one of those layers gives a completely different take on the overall image. When I was painting with mixed media, I’d often pour wax over a piece in progress, or otherwise irrevocably change it, so as to create something that might surprise me and take me down a new path.
Having the need to be in control over the art can stifle it, while letting go and staying open to something a bit beyond what you’d normally do is a good habit to form.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 – 12:44 am