NEWS, VIEWS AND HOW-TO'S

THE ART OF FREE-FORM CREATIVITY

One of my favorite creative endeavors is to casually start playing around with whatever art medium is close by and see where it goes.  It might be colored pencils, paints or scraps of wood; similar to what a musician might do when picking up a guitar or a trumpet that’s lying around. The idea is to just start without any predetermined ideas or expectations.  In other words, working as close to subconsciously as possible.  I like to think of it as Free-Form Creativity.

Often times I’ll use this concept with my photographs.  I’ll look through my photography files on the computer and quickly pick out an image that doesn’t necessarily strike me as having potential for a finished “work of art”.  And then using Photoshop, I’ll just start experimenting with settings, filters and the various sliders and buttons to see what will happen to the image.  The majority of the time I have no idea what kind of effect these things will have on my image.  This is in large part to the fact that I am no Photoshop expert.  So I am just trying things out, having fun and learning along the way.

It’s all about experimentation and enjoying the moment as it happens.  I always come away with new things learned and sometimes a new piece of artwork in the end.

SOMEDAY

…art will be taught in grade school again.

…life will imitate art.

…artists won’t be depicted in the movies as drunks, druggies and weirdo’s.

…artists living in America will be able to support themselves with their art only and will not need a “day job”.

…the general public will buy real, handmade and original artist created art and not big store or “mall” art.

…artists will not be starving.

…art schools will be grounded in reality.

…the general public will buy art for its meaning and emotion and not because it matches the sofa.

…the “Art World” will drop its self destructive, snobby-ness ways.

…artists will discover there are other colors of clothing to wear besides black.

…an artist won’t have to be dead to be famous.

…the “Art World” will be able to see the humor in itself.

…the idea of the reclusive artist will become the myth it is.

…an artist will be president.

…art gallery employees will acknowledge visitors when they walk in the door.

…artists will have more influence than politicians.

…there will be unique, artist made works of art in your home.

…painting will stop being labeled as ‘dead’.

…art critics will be required to be licensed and bonded.

…computer generated artwork will hang on museum walls next to Picasso and Monet paintings.

…the art you create will be on the covers of art magazines.

…the art you create will be in art history books.

…art and artists won’t need funding.

…there won’t be a need for critics…oh, wait…

FOLLOW THE CREATIVE PATH

How many times in a conversation about artistic talent or creativity have you heard someone say, “I can’t even draw a straight line”?  Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

It often appears that the majority of people associate drawing as the yardstick of measure on whether one is creative or has artistic talent.

So it needs to be said right here, right now that there are many artists, including successful professionals, that can’t draw a straight line to save their life.  And that’s ok.  And likewise it’s ok for you too.

So now that the drawing misconception and consequential mental roadblock has quickly fallen to the wayside, the path is wide open to discover which artistic medium will bring you joy and satisfaction.  The list of the things that one can do is long and varied so it’s a matter of trying different things and finding the perfect one for yourself.  Discovery is half the fun.

To help get the creative journey rolling, here is a partial list of mediums and artistic endeavors that may bring out the repressed artist in you or someone you love: photography, jewelry/beading, working with clay, woodcarving, various paint mediums such as watercolors, sewing, candle/soap making and collage.  Be sure to try both two-dimensional and three-dimensional medium types, as one may come more naturally and be more enjoyable to you.

Your local bookseller, library and countless art websites are great places to get ideas. Community colleges often offer classes in various mediums. Everybody can be creative and enjoy making something with their own hands and a little imagination.  Some find it to be painting while others photography.  It is waiting to be discovered in all of us.