CREATIVE ENERGY IS JUST DOING IT…
Posted on October 22 2017
To many people, CREATIVE ENERGY is simply two words strung together, daunting and difficult to comprehend. I often hear visitors to my gallery compliment me on the diversity of the work, and they finish with the words "of course, I don't have a creative bone in my body!'
This is a sad response and I usually reply that they were obviously either put down when they were experimenting as children, or were not encouraged to use their hands.
If I get any kind of glimmer from a child in the gallery, who's parents like to tell me how creative little Mary is, I talk directly to her.
I tell her these things.
If you want to be an artist, drawing is a good way to begin.
You don't have to show the drawings to anyone.
Keep a drawing book and pencil or what you will out so that you can pick it up any time and try something.
Try never to go to bed without having done something, however small. It can be a leaf, but try to draw something you see rather that repeating some kind of cartoon you know how to do. How about a happy little sprig of Dill?
Don't keep throwing your attempts away.
You don't have to finish the picture. Even if you think you have made a mistake, try to carry on and get as close to finishing it as you can. You can draw anything! Here's one of those quick sketches I probably drew years ago. I don't remember where! Notice the quick cross hatching to show the darkness within.
If you don't like the picture you are working on, simply turn a page and start another.
You may find that you like the picture more another day, and that you may even see that it was much better than you thought it was when you were doing it.
Watch the way light falls on the object or even landscape you are drawing and practice shading.
You will be amazed at how quickly the pictures you do get better and better.
But only if you draw at least a tiny bit every day! Copying something is fine. I always preferred to work on real things. I copied these insects from a dictionary but they were useful to have in my little drawing book when I went on to illustrating other projects and I'm glad I found them again, they will be useful on my leather pouches! Once you have drawn a plant or insect, you can do it so much better after that.
These points can be applied to most creative projects. Then as you grow, you will shine! Here's one of the directions I took over the years..You see, it's all about carefully telling the truth about what you see. This is an old car ferry rotting in the mud in Sausalito California.
3 comments
Loved visiting you in your shop and seeing your work in person. I was really inspired by your stories, especially about the boy and his father who were stranded in Bisbee. The boy will never forget how you encouraged him in his artwork and his dad must be so grateful to you for helping him out during a rough time. You are so correct. Bisbee is full of angels, and you are one of them!
I love this. I have gone back and read it many times. It’s beautiful.
I love that you are talking about this! It is so true