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Thoughts on the Creative Process
January 7, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
In the best of moments the creative process is largely a right-brain activity. The concept of being “in the zone,” is a place where action simply happens. The mark I’m making did not come from thought but rather as an instantaneous response to the last mark I made. And the color I choose seems to come from an otherworldly place. Time does not exist and I am unaware of anything else going on around me. There is no right or wrong only spontaneous action. It’s kind of an unconscious state. Oddly though this intense focus seems to vanish as soon as I notice it. What just happened? The left-brain enters and thought takes over. I become more conscious of what I am doing and now choice and questions enter into the situation. “You can’t think and hit at the same time,” Yogi Berra. Betty Edwards in her book “Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain” uses the technique of drawing or painting what you see rather than what you know.
So how do we reconcile this and try to stay in the right-brain focus? I’m not sure we can. Nor should we. But what we can do is to be prepared for how to embrace our left-brain intrusion.
Although the right brain is where the feeling comes from the left brain is where the technical abilities are. After all the greatest works of art have both technical ability and feeling. A technically perfect painting with no emotion is static. An emotionally charged work with no skill is a mess. Thus, strong communication between the hemispheres is what makes an artist great.
In this short online webinar hosted by Eddie Soloway I will offer some ideas about how to be prepared and stay focused to move through the barriers that our left brains throw up.
I will elaborate about the 3 C’s- Craftsmanship, Content and Composition and show some illustrated cues to create depth and contrast in a two dimensional composition.
Embrace the element of surprise- use accidents and gifts as a way to shake things up.
Our intention is to make problems for ourselves so we can come up with creative solutions- keep the excitement of not knowing.
Referencing the concept of having a conversation with the piece, don’t go looking for easy solutions- just keep responding to the information coming back at you and the easy solutions will simply appear.