Keep Throwing that Clay (Or Swinging those Brushes)

From David Bayles and Ted Orland's excellent book Art and Fear: 

"The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of the work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality. His procedure was simple: On the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work in the "quantity" group: fifty pounds of pots rated an "A", forty pounds a "B" and so on. Those being graded on "quality," however, needed to produce only one pot--albeit a perfect one--to get an "A". Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of the highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the "quantity" group was busy turning out piles of work--and learning from their mistakes--the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay."

Book Report

Hi friends!
I suppose the silence on here is a good thing... we're all busily and happily working away, right? Well, not quite in my case. I was quite busy preparing for a solo show not long ago. Towards the end of the build up, I took a workshop and maybe derailed myself. I came back from New York City full of inspiring ideas, but just as I had dealt with on location, was unable to express what was in my head on the canvas. I seriously have pages in my journal/sketchbook where I thought I should just quit. Focus on being on the PTA, a dedicated mother and housekeeper, maybe get a part time job to fill in the economic gaps... I really hit a low and was seriously thinking that it was over. I've done this before, but not this bad.

Then I went to my bookshelf and picked up "Art & Fear" by David Bayles and Ted Orland which I'd read years ago - and then downloaded it from Audible to have it read to me in bed at night (lots of sleepless nights during this bleak time too).

What a huge help it was. After just a couple of chapters, I was ready to try again and cut myself some slack. It was as if the book had been written directly to me. I read passages aloud to my husband - things which described my angst, how hard it is to separate my art failures from me as a person, how much I demanded of myself, etc. There are a lot of great ideas in this book and if you are like me, a perfectionist and rather hard on yourself, its a great reminder that art is about imperfections and interpretation and its personal and most definitely not formulaic.

So I am back on track. I'm allowing myself to enjoy the summer and not stress about production. I am taking a slower approach. I have goals for the next steps of my art journey - another thing the book suggests. Its always good to have something to look forward to. And I do.

There must be thousands of inspiring books on creativity out there, what has moved you?

-- Robin

Wicki's Top Ten Ways to Put the Fun Back in Painting

Really great ideas to start the new year off from the wonderful Vicki Ross at MyArtTutor.com

10. Select a few books from your art library and then stack by your favorite relaxing chair. When TV drones through endless advertisements, pick one book to absorb. Try to read it all the way through and understand what the author is telling you...remember why you bought it in the first place. Use little post-it notes on pages you want to review later...or to actually PRACTICE :)

9. Avoid social media for a day...the world won't spin off its axis. Unless you are using your computer as photo reference for a painting, don't allow it in your studio area. Even turn off email. 'Oh, no, say it ain't so, Wicki'!

8. Try a new medium...even if you are 'known for your oils', nothing says you can't try soft pastel or watercolor. OR encaustics, acrylics, charcoal. You don't have to show anyone, and you will learn new skills that will help freshen your chosen medium. Mastering two mediums is very common for artists.

7. If you paint tight, paint ten small (8x10) with the largest brush you own. If you paint loose, paint ten pictures detailed. If you paint fast, execute a few paintings slowly and enjoy the process. Too slow? Set a timer for 30 minutes and do ten 8x10's, ten 11x14's, ten 16x20's (Lyn Diefenbach's suggestion). You'll learn how to capture the essence of your subject and your work will have a painterly quality.

6. Buy something totally out of the ordinary for YOU, the artist. A new pochade box, a few new tubes of pigment or brushes, or some new equipment...easel, roll of canvas, or an out-of-print coffee table art book!

5. Browse your art books for artwork you love. Copy it as closely as you can...pretend you are Anders Zorn or John Singer Sargent, duplicate the color, the brush strokes, the composition. Be sure to sign it 'after Zorn' so there will be no confusion in the future ... :)

4. Put together a mini-painting kit for 5x7, 3x4-ish. Make or buy a pochade box (my new fav is the 5x7 Pocket Box by Guerrilla Painter), with a lid that works as a support. A small jar can rest in the bottom of the box for turps or medium or water. Go all the way and get some short handled brushes that will live in your box. A small palette can rest on top of your mini-supplies (pigments, board, etc.). NOW, sit in your favorite chair and PAINT...PLAY. I have a small 7x8 Masterson Sta-Wet palette, cut a lightweight piece of acrylic for the bottom for easy cleanup...it had been in the freezer for months and the pigment was still usable! It fit perfectly in my box...in my chair!

3. Canvas by the Roll (or Wallis for pastel or watercolor paper roll) is an excellent investment. You can pre-cut your favorite sizes (leaving 3" border for stretching/framing). Now tape the canvas to a support board. If it turns out to be a 'keeper', you can stretch or mount on a panel. Gives you permission to 'play' because you are not using up expensive supports!

2. Electronic devices (smartphones, tablets) have drawing apps for a few dollars (or free)! Learn to fingerpaint again...if you don't like it, just erase it. If you do like it, forward it to your computer. Work out compositions, make quick sketches. Digital art is still ART!

AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO PUT THE FUN BACK IN PAINTING...

1. Treat yourself to one of MyArtTutor's workshops...select a new medium, style, or tutor. (Computer allowed in studio for this purpose :) Study in Scotland, France, Australia, or the US. Meet other students and participate...everyone is learning new techniques for the first time, so the playing field is even! Start NOW, and complete at your leisure...your class is always available on your schedule. (You can be anonymous if you are afraid your collectors will find out!)

15 Scientific Facts About Creativity

-- from Robin

A fan sent me this interesting article from the Online Universities blog.

Fact no. 1 - Stress Kills Creativity - is so very true for me. And I let the artwork itself become a stressor. That is the one thing I resolve this year to change. I can't let outside forces influence why or when I paint. And I can't let studio time become a chore.
The information is very sciencey... but its intriguing. Honest. ;-)

***

Although creativity keeps human society flourishing, science honestly offers few answers to how the intricate, infinitely complex concept actually works. No matter how much research pours into measuring and grasping the essential phenomenon, it seems as if more questions pop up than receive tangible answers. Theories and findings sometimes conflict with one another as well, meaning every "fact" presented here might very well end up discarded in due time. But that’s par for the course when exploring what seems almost entirely inexplicable.

1. Stress kills creativity
   Just like it kills mental health, the heart, and pretty much everything else. Stress negatively impacts creative expression, particularly when it involves rigid timeframes and criteria. According to psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein, no gene or any other factor predisposes some individuals toward creativity and others not (this perspective is, obviously, disputed). External factors such as stress play a much heavier role in determining innovation than anything intrinsic.
   
2. Those considered geniuses describe their creative processes as trancelike
   Dr. Nancy Andreasen, who wrote The Creating Brain: The Neuroscience of Genius, may not be able to scientifically explain how creativity and genius emerge, but she does know how they inspire and impact the great thinkers. All people experience moments of "ordinary creativity," which permeates daily tasks. But the artist, composers, scientists, writers, and others qualifying as geniuses typically talk of oneiric "flashes" setting off their most notable, iconic works.
   
3. A connection between dopamine production and creativity might exist
   Because dopamine increases along with positive reinforcement and other rewards, some neurobiologists (like Dr. David Sweatt) believe it easily correlates with creativity, too. Either receiving money or the simple satisfaction of a job well done might stimulate levels of innovation, and dopamine in kind. Such a link still exists as a theory, albeit one that does go a long way in explaining the sometimes inexplicable.
   
4. Perception is the first step to nurturing the creative spark
   All creative pursuits start when the thinker perceives an external stimulus and processes it in his and/or her mind. More complex than merely seeing, the "engines of our ingenuity" hook up imagery with imagination. Personal differences in this inevitable linkage lead to creative output and adroitly explain why some people end up with the particular results they do and keep society pushing forward.
   
5. Creativity might correlate with brain chemistry and structure
   Theories regarding creativity’s true origins abound, and some think one’s aptitude may be determined by his or her brain chemistry and structure. University of New Mexico’s Rex Jung believes that if you have less of certain neurological phenomena, you’re better off when it comes to creative pursuits. Specific chemicals froth about in smaller dosages, while white matter sits weaker and the frontal lobe’s cortical regions are thinner. Interestingly enough, brains testing higher on intelligence tests feature the exact opposite composition. Generally speaking, of course.
   

6. Creative thinkers have slower nerves
   During creative moments, the left frontal cortex experiences comparatively more sluggish activity, which also correlates with the aforementioned decreased white matter and connecting axons. Unlike intelligence, creativity tends to thrive when thinking slows down, although "flashes" of inspiration and insight occur with the speed of flashes. Emotions and some cognitive processes happen in this particular region as well, which scientists such as Dr. Jung believe encourage abstract and novelty thought processes.
   
7. "Psychological distance" facilitates creativity
   When hitting a creative snag, the best thing thinkers can do for themselves is step away and try to look at everything from a completely different point of view. Studies have shown that the most consistently creative individuals display a willingness to approach their challenges from a wide variety of angles beyond their initial inklings. Putting some space between original perspectives and newer ones encourages abstract thinking, a crucial component in the inventive process.
   
8. Early research into creativity divided it up into three separate subsections
   Mel Rhodes’ inquiries into the creative mind — which required him to research around 50 takes on the subject — eventually led him to break everything down into the person, process, and environment components. The person element, as you can probably guess, involves one’s unique set of characteristics needed to think and perceive things in an innovative, abstract fashion. Actually understanding and formulating ideas and results is known as process, and environment means the internal and external milieu in which the creative individual works.
   
9. Aerobic exercise increases one’s creative potential
   When brain fog starts rolling in, try a moderate amount of aerobic exercise to try and clear it up. Rhode Island College scientists noted that the two hours after engaging in such rigorous physical activity proved some of the most mentally fertile in a 2005 study. They used the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking to measure how well the participating thinkers performed with and without exercise.
   
10. Creativity might plummet if it becomes a means to a rewarding end
    Although from 1987, this study’s findings showcase just how largely unknowable creativity’s true face is these days, as it conflicts with some more contemporary theories despite making just as much sense. Tests conducted on Brandeis University creative writing students noted a dive in their motivation and thoughts regarding their work when receiving rewards for their efforts. They approached poetry with a lessened sense of intrinsic interest, a finding which ended up applying to situations beyond the creative.
    

11. Improvisation stimulates the brain’s language centers
    fMRIs and improvised jazz form the crux of surgeon Charles Limb’s pioneering maps of the creative process. His TEDxMidAtlantic lecture discussed his fascinating findings regarding the physiology behind musical improvisation, specifically, how it makes the Broca’s Area light up like the Fourth of July. Brain scientists think this part is responsible for language development and cognition, implying that one of the body’s most essential organs might recognize music (and maybe even other expressive pursuits) as akin to speech.
    
12. Bilingualism and multilingualism might improve one’s creative skills
    Researchers "may not have had [their] EUREKA moment" when it comes to proving a link between bi- and multilingualism, but compelling evidence certainly exists. Individuals capable of speaking more than one language generally display more competent multitasking skills and improved cognition, both usually labeled key ingredients to creative thinking. Most telling, however, is that they seem better able to analyze situations and stimuli from multiple angles, which nearly everyone attempting to define creativity considers essential.
    
13. Creative people are more likely to be dishonest
    That doesn’t mean all creative folks ought not be trusted, nor that their opposites are always the most honest sorts, of course. But individuals capable of more novel and abstract thoughts — and possessing more flexible moral fibers — "enjoy" a higher risk of less-than-trustworthy behaviors. Multiple studies show that the ability to concoct more solid, viable stories and view scenarios and stimuli from many angles dull the chances of getting caught.
    
14. High IQ and creativity might correlate with one another
    Harvard, like many other institutions of higher learning, hopes to try and unlock creativity’s beautiful and bizarre secrets. Dr. Shelley Carson, notable for developing a new standard to measure the mysterious phenomenon, wants to try and find a definitive relationship between intelligence and creative thinking. Some of her earlier studies note that both increase together at the 120, 130, and 150 IQ levels, but more research is needed to prove any sort of solid correlation.
    
15. So yeah. Creativity and mental illness might very well coincide
    Painting all creative types as insane — particularly the influential and genius — always has been and probably always will be a rather tired cliché, albeit a cliché that might actually hold some cachet. Their brains have been proven to open up more to external sources and possess greater memory capacity than others, but such a perk does come burdened with some unfortunate side effects. Overstimulation might very well result, which can pique (or worsen) anxiety and depressive disorders.