The Creative Process –and all of the ugliness that entails…

It’s pouring rain this morning. Great for the grass and garden, horrible for plasma cutting. The moisture in the air causes twice as many consumables to be used on the tips of my plasma cutter. That means it’s twice as expensive for me to cut when it’s raining. I’m fussy because I have a stack of work to do but am finding it hard to find the “internal power” I like to have when I’m art making. I’ve also been a bit moody and contemplative with way too many existential thoughts (I'm even burning some lovely Nag Champa Agarbatti incense in the studio right now). Because of the rain, I was going to do some illustration work but my studio had projects and materials (cr@p) stacked everywhere –didn’t I just ORGANIZE this place?! The clean area where I have the best light and work surface for illustration work needed cleaning and organizing –even my computer area isn’t very inspiring to work at with it so crowded. So, I took back my studio and made my illustrating area more “me” and inviting. I think I’m also in a “mood” because as I thought more about it, yesterday was the first day in 21 years of “back to school” first days I didn’t get to walk my kid into the school building. At least Gus let me get a quick picture of him on his first day of 8^th grade with a look of “C’mon Mom my friends are waiting for me!”

I picked up this book at the Thrift store this week titled The Visual Arts As Human Experience. I’m always looking for a clear cut explanation of how us artists work or academic opinions on art that will hopefully provide affirmations that I am a “real artist.” Sadly, I’m unable to identify with the majority of observations and explanations. I would like a guidebook to help me through my highs and lows of being an artist. I realize it’s probably called therapy –but I don’t do

groups or therapy. I think it’s kind of like SAD -Seasonal Affective Disorder –except I LOVE fall and winter. Maybe it’s just called PAD, Pouting Artist Disorder! The final chapter did have an interesting excerpt;

“The means required by the artist to progress from stage to stage toward an order objectively embodied in a work of art are evolved from the most recent stage. In this respect, his moving toward completion of his work is similar to physical or chemical chain reactions. But in differentiation to these senseless reactions, the progressive stages in the process of creative activity are managed through laborious effort and often painful toil. The intermittent rewards come with the knowledge of each successive stage achieved toward unity. And with the final work of embodiment and order achieved toward unity. And with the final work of embodiment and order achieved, with the objective form at last given to what started as a shapeless ghost, the artist experiences the joy of equilibrium existing between the old and the new. Yet if he really be an artist, his completed work will suffice only as another experience that will serve to reactivate him toward a renewed vision and the embodiment in artistic from of still another unique insight.”

The Visual Arts As Human Experience, The Creative Process: A summary of Its Nature by DONALD L. WEISMANN