Reviving Flagging Creativity

365 Days of Creativity

It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted anything. I’ve found that It’s all too easy to get caught up in the day to day grind of making a living and taking care of business. My soul suffers when I don’t take the time to create, so I’m embarking on an adventure to do something creative every day for the next 365 days. The ‘image bank’ in my mind has run dry. My ultimate goal is to produce more pieces to post here! Follow along with me, or jump into this challenge yourself. Check out my blog: www.lisas365daysofcreativity.blogspot.com

Time for ‘Doing Nothing’

I had a day off from ‘regular’ work today—you know, the work that pays the bills? For the next few weeks, I’m actually working 2 jobs, adding up to almost 60 hours a week. I’m tired, . . . really tired! But today is my only day off and I found myself in a dilemma. Because this is my only day off during the week, there are so many things calling for my attention, things screaming to be done. I had planned on working in the yard today; mowing the grass, preparing a new flower bed and a new veggie bed. But, it’s raining, . . . .

Ok, then there are dishes in the sink, I need groceries, there is dust on the furniture and the floors, clothes to be laundered, . . . . and the list goes on, and on, and on.

Then, of course, there are drawings waiting impatiently on the easel and the drawing board, also calling for my attention. Problem is, I can’t focus when there are so many things that need attention, so here I sit at the computer, surfing and thinking and typing away.

I felt really guilty at first, just sitting and letting all the ‘work’ call to me only to be ignored. However, the longer I sat, the better my soul felt; and I began to think about ‘stillness’. Yes, that’s what has been missing of late—great art can and does come from chaos, but there must be the times of stillness in order for the mind to gather up the chaos and organize it on paper—whether you are a visual artist, a writer, or a musician.

And so, . . . the art will come in its own time, after this time of mixed chaos and stillness, . . . stay tuned, . . .

Color

I’ve been thinking a lot about color this week. Normally, I work from photographs (my own, of course!), but right now I have a Celtic knot work piece on my drawing board. When I work with photos in a realistic style, the colors are pretty much set—I only have to interpret them. Granted, once in a while I take a little ‘artistic license’ and veer off on my own a bit. But this time, there are no photos; this piece is purely from my imagination, so it’s up to me to choose the color palette. I’ve found this to be one of the most difficult challenges I’ve faced in a while. Why? Why should it be so difficult to set a color scheme? For me, I think it’s because I love color! There are too many choices, so decisions had me paralyzed for a few days! LOL! I finally chose a palette for this piece, but since I had such a tough time with it, this will most likely end up as a series instead of only one!


If one says "Red" – the name of color – and there are fifty people listening, it can be expected that there will be fifty reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different. (Josef Albers)


That is a really interesting quote to me—I happen to think that it is ‘spot on’! Just like everything else in life, it all boils down to experience. Colors evoke memories in us. Some have good connotations to us, some bad, and some neutral. How do those colors make us feel about a piece of art? How often are we drawn to a specific piece not because of excellence of execution or interesting subject matter, but purely by the colors?


I’m going to try an experiment this week: I’m going to ask a few people to head to the paint dept. of their favorite store and pick out one red, one blue, and one yellow paint chip. I’m going to collect them all, compare them and then ask everyone why they chose the particular shade that they chose.


I’d love to hear your thoughts on color. Please feel free to comment!

Music and Creativity

No images to post today, . . . just some rambling thoughts!


How does music affect our creativity? Does it inspire us to create? Does it set a ‘mood’ for us? Do we choose music that enhances the mood we’re trying to create?


For me, it’s all of the above and more sometimes! At times, when I’m in the mood to brainstorm for ideas, I sit down with a friend and we listen to different genres of music and we watch music videos to get some visual stimulation. Then we begin! We fire ideas back and forth and write down ideas that we think we want to pursue further. Sometimes a piece will come from these sessions and sometimes not, but always it adds to our visual bank accounts and will eventually show up somewhere.


Then there are the times that I have a piece already begun and I want some music in the background as I work. If I’m working on a difficult piece, I’ll choose something instrumental so that I can concentrate on the work. If I’m working on a fairly easy section, I’ll choose something that inspires me with the lyrics—something I can sing along to. A Celtic inspired piece requires Celtic music; a ‘darker’ piece, I’ll choose music that relates to that kind of a mood.


My friend wondered aloud a couple of weeks ago, . . . ‘do you suppose that the music we listen to while we create an art piece somehow embeds itself into the paint?’ Hmmm, . . . I’m sure that it does—as I put myself on the paper, the music comes along for the ride!

What Makes an Artist, An Artist?

So what is it that makes an artist, an artist? Is it technical skill with their medium of choice? Is it an original, thought-provoking idea? Is it popularity with the masses? Is it being innovative and doing things no one else has done before?

Hmmm, . . . well, for what it’s worth, here’s my two cents on this subject. Technical skill, while essential to any form of art, is not the only ingredient. If we never progress beyond copying someone else’s work, or slavishly copying photographs, we never put ourselves out there. If we’re always using someone else’s photos, we become not much more than a Xerox machine. Don’t get me wrong, I use photos for reference too, but usually they’re my own photos or at least I use them only for reference—not copying them. If you’ve created a piece that is a copy of someone else’s photo, in my estimation, the photographer is the artist.

I feel as if so many of us have gotten stuck. We sometimes call it artist’s block—what should I draw today? I can’t think of anything—hey, you got any ideas? Wow, take a look at that photo! Isn’t that amazing—I MUST draw or paint that! It’s difficult to know ourselves, but as artists, that’s what we’re called to do. It’s our job to put our hearts and souls down on the paper or canvas—our unique experience of the world.

What is YOUR experience in the Universe that we live in? That photo that you love is artwork that was successful—the photographer made you feel something. That photo triggered a response in you. That is art; that is what art is supposed to do! Analyze what it is in that photo that draws you in—what does it make you feel and why? Find what moves you and make your art uniquely yours. Be brave and share your own unique perspective with the world!

Fellow artist

Please take the time to check out my friend, Jason's deviantART page. He is a special effects artist. He does horror movie make-up and fake 'wounds'. Jason is willing to help out anyone living in our area (SW Ohio) interested in doing SADD mock accidents. Jason and I sometimes collaberate on projects. He does his make-up effects, then I take photos and make drawings from them. I also take most of the photos he posts on his page.
So, . . . check it out---www.wolfmoonillusions.deviantart.com

Fresh Beginnings

This is going to be my attempt to share my journey. There have been so many changes in my life recently . . . in the past year I have divorced, my daughter turned 18 and got married and, . . . since I'm now out on my own; I have decided to make a go at making art my livelihood. This is a scary journey, but necessary and I'm sure it will be filled with many ups as well as downs. I'm also sure it will be a journey of much exploration and growth.

I've been taking classes at my local art center (Middletown Art Center) for about 4 years now. I started out with drawing, then added watercolors, calligraphy, color theory, and acrylic painting. I have learned so much in that time. I've been like a sponge, but there is so much more to learn! I made a decision: I wanted to pick a medium and work to become skilled with it. I chose pencils (both colored and graphite): my first love. I am currently still in the drawing class and I've added a digital photography class this term.

Part of the healing from my divorce included watching movies and hanging out with a good friend. He happens to love horror movies and movie make-up. This past fall, he worked at a haunted trail and I got the opportunity to help him with his costume and take photos of the trail behind the scenes. Just for fun one evening, he dressed as a vampire and I took some photos.

I became inspired and began a colored pencil drawing of the vampire. And passion was born! My drawing instructor has been my biggest cheerleader. My work was different enough from the normal at the art center that it began to draw some attention. People would wander into class to see what I was up to. The director has offered gallery space October 2009 for a "Halloween" show of my dark pieces!