How do I start the next thing? What is the NEXT THING?!?!?? I started painting as a creative outlet and a way to reduce stress. And yet I tend to stress about what is coming next out of the studio. I think that it is natural for artists. There is an ebb and flow of inspiration in the studio that occurs but it is hard to be out of the studio for any length of time and feel like there is not a distinct direction when you return. My goal in that first year of painting was to be more creative and to put it out there. I really try and return to that when inspiration retreats from view. The point of creating is not that I will make masterpieces every time I approach the easel but that I will keep coming back, that allowing work to develop is a discovery for me, that the process is more important than the results. Staying with that in mind, I quite often paint over works that sit too long in the studio {that's right even your favorite isn't safe from my constant painting} and I look for ways to make play or experiment, trying other artist's techniques on occasionally or working in new color palettes. I try to keep it fun. I recently came across a painter on Youtube who was just so much fun to watch. I think I sat through 7 or 8 videos because he was having so much fun. Of course I learned something along the way {his carrot people were awesome} but more than that it reminded me that this whole things is supposed to be fun. It shouldn't be overly formulaic or made to sell. For me painting is about playing and discovery. The collections develop themselves, I just have to show up and keep painting. This may be why I keep returning to meditation and yoga because they are also both about just showing up. All three are practices. Each help me slow down and let go of control. And that might be the hardest part about starting a new collection, letting go of controlling what it will become and just allowing it to reveal itself.
I'm curious to know what things you do that allow you to unplug from the world and turn off your thoughts for a while. Comment below or send me an email. Margaret Comments are closed.
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November 2019
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