I sit here on my front porch, watching the sunrise, drinking my coffee, contemplating the day; I wonder about the creative process, the thinking, planning, and execution of it all. Many times it’s very organic in that I just jump in with both feet and do. As I work through the project; I see what I want to do, tweak it, change it, sometimes start over, so that it is what I need to show. My hope is that my creation will instill in others an emotional reaction, speak to them, or instill the desire to have my creation.
Working through the creative process is a personal and not personal thing. We all have routines that we do to get those creative juices flowing, keep them flowing and to come to the conclusion of the thing that we are working on.
It’s personal…
it’s that thing that you’re trying to convey to others so that they may react.
it’s something that you pull out from your soul that evokes emotions.
it’s something that you want to say or show.
The creative process is also not personal. It’s routines that we use to do whatever it is we do. When I was teaching; my creative process was to show interest, and spark an emotion or reaction in my students, but also at the same time educate them so that they have another perspective. In my artistic process, it’s very much the same. I may go on a hike, walk or paddle, see something that I need to convey my interpretation and perception.
It’s not personal in that many of the routines are just that, routines. It doesn’t make the project, it’s the set up to start, flow and conclude the project.
For me, when I have a project, I jump in. Like this blog, I had been mulling it over for a couple of days. As I was mulling, I realized that I was using the creative process to think, ponder and wonder. I also thought, “Oh! Others do the same thing.” Sometimes when we put things in writing, it becomes more clear. Also, when we write the story about the thing, it gives it more value and opens up the window into the author’s or artist’s soul.
For example, I just did a short series of paintings on the sky here in Colorado. Here I’m in the foothills of the front range - right before the Rocky Mountains on the west with the Plains on the east. It’s often where the wind and weather collide. The sky here is so vivid, thought provoking with motion and emotions that makes me think, “How can I show this?”
I had three prepped small canvases. My thinking is do something small to start with and see if I can show my perception of it. I had taken several photos this one particular evening, with storms rolling in so my thought was to start with just the clouds. Then the next photos show the sky and storms that roiled over the farmland. Again, it was, “How can I show and convey this energy?”
I just jumped in and worked through the three pieces in one sitting. Many times it is just like that, you’re in a groove and you want to work through the work. Hope you enjoy it.
This is a 4”x4” canvas that I wanted to just show the clouds in the sky.
This is a 5”x5” canvas that I wanted to start with the farmland.
This last piece is a 7”x5” canvas that shows the colliding blue sky and the storm rolling in over the farmland.
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