How Does Your Art Manifest?
All of these unfinished and unstarted things lying around your studio. (Or whatever you call your creative space. For me, it was the kitchen table for quite a while.) WTF were you thinking you could art up all these things, who would want them anyways? And then…
…you've been staring at an object forever in your space and all of a sudden it clicks - you are going to change it. You are driven to start changing that object immediately. It will not wait any more. You don’t know WHAT you are going to do, you just know YOU are going to do it.
…you got this great piece of furniture for free, it was sitting on the side of the road somebody actually left it there! You circle back for it and figure out how to single handedly load it into your car. It sits in your garage forever, taunting you with its great bones and a surface begging for a facelift. And suddenly out of nowhere you know what to do to make the piece “happy”.
…you have a loose idea about what to do to a piece, but you need to slowly plan it out before making any moves at all. The ideas come together in your head and play together for a couple of months before you even bring a paint brush within 5 feet of your piece. It takes some time to be ready to get going.
From sudden inspiration to a steady build up, ideas and creativity manifests itself in many ways for all of us.
It’s part of our process and there is no right or wrong way to give birth to it. I read stories and posts all the time from experienced artists to the woman who just decided one day to pick up stamps and watercolor one day and go for it. There may be struggle, there may be self-contention and there may be sudden clarity to indicate you are ready to get going on your art. We can cycle through all these things, and more, before we are in a place to begin.
What have you experienced with your beginnings? Have you had a flash of inspiration? Did you need to wait for more ideas to arrive before starting? Just started painting something with the faith that more will come down the line? I’d love to hear your stories about how your art manifests.
(Author's Note: This blog was inspired suddenly by a Geisha created by Lorisz Gagyi of L&L Furniture Art.)
Comments
coleen said:
reads like poetry
Diane J. Strickland said:
Yes. I often just circle the piece I’m working on. I stop and listen. Sometimes it’s clear. Other times, not so much. I’ve learned that sometimes I just have to start and be prepared to paint over it all. And when I accept that, I often don’t have to do it after all.
John Stevens said:
“… here is no right or wrong way to give birth to it.”
Thank you. I need to remember this.
Jenny said:
I love this. Trust the process. If you want to create art you can! Be patient and know that creativity isn’t always a direct line.
Cathy said:
A very poignant article that puts into words what many creative people experience. I tend to feel a sense of guilt when I don’t explore my creative side.