Posts Tagged ‘creative’
The Critical Mass
Outside The Funny Little Gallery, Doolin photograph by Marianne Slevin
Artists often work on the periphery of society, rearranging or dismantling border controls and crossings, shifting boundaries and boulders and generally being a bit discontent with the current situation. Somehow the word “content” and the word “artist” don’t really go together. This discontentment and unease could be one of the reasons that the general public who are not in this creative battle find much contemporary art to be not what they are looking for. This “not what is being looked for” is a problem for artists; as in, people coming to view art with a preconceived idea and the art has to fit into their idea of what art should be, for them. If art is to conform to the wants of the masses, how is art to grow? This discontentment and unease is a catalyst for growth in art, like an athlete, an artist will push beyond the comfort zone, questioning and creating and developing, as if they were muscles being pushed to their limits.
We have “The Funny Little Gallery” on the road towards The Cliffs of Moher, you can imagine the traffic! yet the only people who call in are artists or have a artist in their family and/or have a big appreciation of art. This is a tiny percentage of the people who pass by every day. The masses drive to the Cliffs and do the Aran Islands. The majority of people feel alienated from art, unless it is something that they can relate to, such as a scene of a landscape that they like or something nostalgic or sentimental. This gap between the people who appreciate art and the people who don’t is gapping. There should not be such a gap, there is something wrong; as everyone is creative. I feel things are changing now, but in the past there was nothing taught in school since about The Impressionists. That’s about where the appreciation of art stopped, in certain places.
It is part of the job of the artist to take the audience into consideration, but not to be stifled by the audience. It is a two way thing; artists need to take a step towards the public and the public needs to take a step towards the artist. Many artists and collaborating groups are doing this and have been doing this for many years. My own step is opening up our house to the public and welcoming anyone who wishes to come inside into an informal setting, also by talking about my work to the people who visit in a way that you don’t need an art education to understand. My mission is to start filling the gapping void between the art world and the rest of the world, even in a tiny way. When the critical mass reaches a certain number or ratio then the general public will love art too!
Creative Anytime
How do I fit the creative hour or two into my day? many people say. Well it can start anytime anywhere, you don’t need to have a studio or lonely garret to make art. I am not staying that it does not help, but it is not essential. I am not saying that this doodle in pancake batter is great or even good art, but it is practice in allowing the creative process into daily life, it is a start. Yesterday while I was weeding the garden I practiced being more playful with my weeding method, I would have looked quite peculiar to any an lookers, I am sure. Making art can have many elements involved, basically the whole of the person or people who are making it. Being mindful and being playful are two of the element that come to mind but everyone’s list will be different.
You don’t have to call yourself an artist to let some creative play into your day.
Ten things to get you to create!
1) Create a space for yourself to create in, it has really helped me to have a constant space for me to leave everything out so I can just start again whenever I feel like it. Setting up and tidying up just gets in the way!
2) If you have children, paint with them, I don’t do this all of the time that would be too exhausting! but sometimes it is great fun, the other day I gave our two children their first lesson in printmaking we did some mono prints, using the plastic lids from takeaway containers, using water soluble oil paint.
3) Carry a small sketch book with you everywhere you go, I don’t but wish I did!
4) Get your partner to force you to create a set amount of time every day, penalties for not creating should be severe! James did this for me by himself and it was the only thing that got me to do art again in a real way! It worked I made art every day even when it really was the last thing I felt like! Now I don’t do it everyday but I did for several months and made enough work to open our secret gallery, thank you James! It also got me back into thinking about art and thinking more creatively everyday. Sometimes it is too hard to do it on your own.
5) Make a piece of art for someone you care about.
6) Collaborate with someone, it can be a relief to take the focus off you!
7) Try to make bad art!
8) Be childish and play and make yourself laugh while you create, you might not even notice you have made art!
9) Recycle something into art. The other day James suggested I turn my classic leather motorbike one piece suit into art, I had put it on for a joke and really hurt my back just picking up something like a sock! He thought I should not wear it anymore, as it had some negative energy. So I started painting words on it to hopefully transform it into something positive and healing, like Peace and strong Woman.
10) Think, have you ever regretted making art?! I can think of many things that are a waste of time but, being creative is always worth while!
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