Getting Started 2011.
 |
It's not that I'm not motivated but it seems I'm putting the cart before the horse by trying to create new work from an "empty tank" so to speak. Although December and January were quite full it hasn't got me to a point where I feel very inspired to paint. So falling back on old habits of "should" and being disciplined I had decided to just get myself into the studio and spend a certain amount of time there and "work". In the old days whilst studying classical guitar you just had to buckle down and play your scales and your core pieces and then the new work. If this all sounds quite regimented and not very creative you're right. That's one of the reasons I stopped playing classical guitar, but old habits die hard and deep down I'm still the responsible
worker who feels guilty when I'm not being productive. This is a good time to remind myself about all those artists of the past who seemed to spend so much time in the coffee shops, bars and brothels. I've no doubt that's where they got their inspiration. They sought out the company of other artists and intellectuals and the rich cross pollination of ideas and the colourful environments led to a fertile creative output. In my own experience I know that my best work like many artists and songwriters, once I'm inspired flows quickly and easily.
I know being disciplined works well for some people and for certain artistic pursuits such as ballet and classical piano but for a free spirited creative I find it is counterproductive. Paintings created from this perspective tend to be uninspired and dry! So....what to do? I know I'm good at goal setting and acomplishing those goals but sometimes I fail to give myself the inspirational experiences needed to create new work. So I've made a list of suggestions to myself (which may benefit my fellow artists) in order to "fill up my tank" and to commence work from a place of inspiration and joy and here are a few I'd like to share.
Buy a new CD of a singer/ songwriter that I've never bought before and consider creating a painting to go with each song on the album.
Take a class unrelated to painting that uses colour & design eg. jewelly making or something textile based
Read a novel set in an exotic location and create a painting from it.
Go somewhere new even if it's not very far and chat to other creative people eg Paddington Markets,
Write a song
Plant some flowers
Take some photographs and create from them
Look at old work and develop an idea that you never fully explored
Hang out in a beautiful bookshop, fabric shop or any shop, library or park.
Sit at a pavement cafe and watch the passers by
Be still and trust that your inner artist will come to the fore when the time is right.
I know I've never been lazy (in fact it's something I'd like to cultivate) so allowing myself the chance to get inspired is an essential part of the process as it is for any artist. So if you see me wandering around Newtown, loitering in bookshops looking happy, it may look like I'm just having a nice time but in actual fact I'm working, I've no doubt that in no time at all I'll be feeling compelled to start expressing in my own way all that's been soaking into my visual memory.
1 comment:
Sometimes it's just about process. Your job is to turn up, every day, at the laptop, at the piano or the guitar, at the easel. You can't do it if you're not there. Love your suggestions about how to re-fill the well.
Post a Comment