My quest for inspiration continues, and is intricately entwined with the quest for that which inspires me...
That which inspires is quite unique to the individual: for me it's usually natural scenic beauty that takes my breath away. Usually that comes in the tangible form of 20,000 foot high thunderheads, or mountains of any height, or the color green in its infinite varieties, but our Earth is full of surprises that delight and inspire me. I'll bet you can name the some of the kinds of things that inspire you.
Translating that delight and inspiration into Inspiration during the process of creation, is a matter of enabling ourselves to "tune in" to our awe, thoroughly and completely. It's a delicate balance which enables this. Being overtired or mentally preoccupied, we won't be likely to find the state of inspiration we seek. We must be prepared physically, mentally and spiritually, almost like an athlete is prepared for a game. The mental preparation includes intimate knowledge of our own particular art form.
But, at the moment of real Inspiration, we are completely absorbed by the experience, and no longer so conscious of ourselves, mentally or physically, or the technical aspects of our creative process. I believe that the best creative experiences come from deep within our spiritual realm.
April 15, 2010
January 21, 2010
SILENCE...
I was just thinking about silence.... and how utterly blissful it can be. It is wonderfully fertile soil for the creative imagination, and quite rare and valuable when you think about our "culture" of televisions, white earbuds, leaf blowers and dogs barking... Ah ha: no wonder... it's been raining for five days here in Southern California, and I've barely heard a leaf blower. I could get used to this.
Usually, when I "work" at my art, I play music. Jazz is most inspiring to me, but I'm eclectic. Perhaps, I will try and create a little more silence in my studio, and see how that goes. I'll get back to you....
Usually, when I "work" at my art, I play music. Jazz is most inspiring to me, but I'm eclectic. Perhaps, I will try and create a little more silence in my studio, and see how that goes. I'll get back to you....
January 20, 2010
TRANSFORMING OUR PERCEPTION
I came across a wonderful article entitled "What Allows Creativity to happen?" by Kent Meyers, on a website called "Prairie Wind Writer." He's a creative writing instructor who has addressed the subject very eloquently in this piece, first, by citing a moving personal anecdote, self described as "one of the most powerful creative moments of [his] life." * He feels like creativity is always kind of a miracle, and I would certainly echo his awe.
Mr. Meyers says also that the magnitude of a sudden creative transformation is difficult to describe. So true. One minute, you're up to your elbows in the nuts and bolts of a project, and the next, you have an utterly complete, crystal clear vision of how it should be... He describes it as a kind of perceptual change, and believes that in order for this transformation to occur, you must first be thoroughly absorbed in a project.
If we commit ourselves to the seed of an idea; if we really and truly involve ourselves with it, it will germinate and bud and leaf and branch into a full fledged miracle not unlike a tree.
Meyers also says that "Creativity by its very nature is inefficient: we are working at discovering new patterns of thought and perception. If we knew an efficient road to them, there would be no discovery." * He says we need to allow ourselves an inefficient space in which to create.
I've only scratched the surface of this brilliant, insightful article. I hope you'll take the time to read it, if not now, bookmark it for later. Here's the link: http://prairiewindswriter.org/content/resources/articles/creativity.htm
Mr. Meyers says also that the magnitude of a sudden creative transformation is difficult to describe. So true. One minute, you're up to your elbows in the nuts and bolts of a project, and the next, you have an utterly complete, crystal clear vision of how it should be... He describes it as a kind of perceptual change, and believes that in order for this transformation to occur, you must first be thoroughly absorbed in a project.
If we commit ourselves to the seed of an idea; if we really and truly involve ourselves with it, it will germinate and bud and leaf and branch into a full fledged miracle not unlike a tree.
Meyers also says that "Creativity by its very nature is inefficient: we are working at discovering new patterns of thought and perception. If we knew an efficient road to them, there would be no discovery." * He says we need to allow ourselves an inefficient space in which to create.
I've only scratched the surface of this brilliant, insightful article. I hope you'll take the time to read it, if not now, bookmark it for later. Here's the link: http://prairiewindswriter.org/content/resources/articles/creativity.htm
January 15, 2010
POST www: THE CREATIVE PROCESS
The January 18th issue of Newsweek Magazine included a piece by Sharon Begley, entitled, "Your Brain Online"
As an artist, I would have to take issue with her final thought on creativity, which concludes that due to a flood of information, creativity has become a process of “destruction rather than assembly.”
While this may be true about the process of research today, I believe that the truly creative thought process is still based upon the uncommon or unlikely connection of ideas, unrelated to the volume of information through which one must trudge in order to achieve that.
If you get a chance, read the article. It's food for thought. Here's a link to it: http://www.newsweek.com/id/229843
January 10, 2010
THE WILL TO SEE IT THROUGH
I watched the film "Frost/Nixon" last night, and the story is a valuable lesson on inspiration. Upon seeing news footage of Nixon leaving the White House in disgrace, Frost had the idea to interview him. It was a big, expensive undertaking, with a ton of prep work.
With three out of four interviews complete, no one except David Frost himself, believed that the final outcome would yield anything worthwhile, and yet, Frost had truly believed in the concept from his first moment of inspiration, even staking his fortunes on it. Instead of joining his colleagues who'd lost heart, he persevered, to great success.
Having a clear vision, being certain about the right direction and staying the course....Believing in an idea enough to see it through, even in the face of one's own doubts, others' criticism or impending failure....these are all pieces of what genuine inspiration looks like.
With three out of four interviews complete, no one except David Frost himself, believed that the final outcome would yield anything worthwhile, and yet, Frost had truly believed in the concept from his first moment of inspiration, even staking his fortunes on it. Instead of joining his colleagues who'd lost heart, he persevered, to great success.
Having a clear vision, being certain about the right direction and staying the course....Believing in an idea enough to see it through, even in the face of one's own doubts, others' criticism or impending failure....these are all pieces of what genuine inspiration looks like.
January 7, 2010
RISING TO NEW CHALLENGES
Today, I realized how completely refreshing it can be to experiment in a new medium! Rising to new creative challenges, whether in our primary medium, or a diversion, can sometimes delight and surprise us. This can energize us, creatively, helping us find new passion, focus and depth of insight, which will then come through in our work.
January 6, 2010
SPARKS FLYING
What a difference! Yesterday, an acupuncture session and an art club meeting lifted my energy level! Nurturing our physical, mental and spiritual selves can be a good way to start energizing our inspiration.
This evening there was a particularly brilliant sunset which made me think about how euphoric those colors make me feel! It was a spectacular show and I had the luxury of spending some time studying, as it unfolded. As a painter, color is both tool and vice for me. Some colors in nature make me want to drink them to excess and bathe in them!
Many great painters have studied nature in depth, learning much from her. In his "Reminiscences," the abstract painter, Vassily Kandinsky, talked about how sunset was a magical time of day, when the colors profoundly inspired him.
As artists looking for deeper inspiration, we can try and figure out what elements of our art inspire us most, and immerse ourselves in them, especially when we need an energy boost.
This evening there was a particularly brilliant sunset which made me think about how euphoric those colors make me feel! It was a spectacular show and I had the luxury of spending some time studying, as it unfolded. As a painter, color is both tool and vice for me. Some colors in nature make me want to drink them to excess and bathe in them!
Many great painters have studied nature in depth, learning much from her. In his "Reminiscences," the abstract painter, Vassily Kandinsky, talked about how sunset was a magical time of day, when the colors profoundly inspired him.
As artists looking for deeper inspiration, we can try and figure out what elements of our art inspire us most, and immerse ourselves in them, especially when we need an energy boost.
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