Musings on an artful life

Next comes the tricky part. In part two of the assignment, we will turn our two dimensional collage into a three dimensional structure using wire. I find this just about as scary as hell. What if my design is too complex to translate? How will I attach the wire to the foam core with a degree of elegance that will qualify me for an A? Though I tried to anticipate the challenges of the wire translation as I designed the collage, I'm certain I'm missing some key piece of reality. 

It would really help to have a very clear vision, not only of the finished piece, but of the process and its challenges before embarking on this two-part adventure. I found myself waking in the middle of the night with visions of wire loops dancing in my head. The instructor showed us a sample from a previous class, but I don't believe it was a very good example; surely she's looking for something more interesting than that!

Even if the instructor had given us a step-by-step set of directions, there would still be surprises and problems to solve as we go along. If fact, art is really as much about problem solving as it is about creating something interesting or beautiful. 

This made me think about creative process in the business context. How often are employees frustrated because they are not shown the big picture - the vision of the organization. They are expected to complete their small piece of the puzzle without knowing what it's supposed to look like, or how the other parts of the puzzle are being solved. Leaders in organizations would do well to create the big picture for employees - Where are we going? What must happen for us to get there? How does our group fit into the picture? 

Yes, there will be unexpected challenges and problems to solve, but the more employees know, the more they will feel equipped to meet the challenges.

In Photoshop, I played with cropping and, just for fun, I ran each image through all the various artsy filters. Now I'm excited to get back to my studio and paint! Alas, it will be September 1 before I get a break in my travel schedule.

Fortunately, I have my travel art kit with me and can at least do some sketches and small-format watercolor painting to try out some ideas. Stay tuned!

The car window photography is addictive. As I was driving my rental car through Atlanta yesterday, with the skyline a shade of hazy gray/violet, I wanted to point my iPhone camera over the steering wheel and click a few shots. For safety's sake I refrained. 

As I considered my options, I realized that since my objective was not prize-winning photos, but reference material for (hopefully) prize-winning paintings, I might as well grab some shots out the window. Click...click...click... never mind the fact the dashboard and rear-view mirror are in the way....click...click...

Then it occurred to me that this might spawn a series of paintings "At 60 mph" or "Landscapes Under Glass," using the dashboard, mirrors, or road pavement as part of the composition. Maybe this is the fresh take on landscapes that I've been looking for. It's part of my love-hate relationship with travel. The cage-like environment inside the car allows only a quick glimpse of beauty minus the full sensory experience. This is somewhat analogous to other ways we distance ourselves from nature: TV and movies as a substitute for real-life adventures; Wii as a substitute for exercise; or online social networks as a sub for the real thing.

Downloading and looking at my pics may give me some other ideas.

"What if I got a purse-size journal that could go everywhere with me (or practiced my typing skills on my iPhone) and wrote Twitter-style in short sound bites as thoughts occur throughout the day?" I thought. There's a curmudgeon in my head that immediately censors that idea with the thought that there's something luxuriously satisfying about a larger notebook with plenty of room to write. My hand cramps just thinking about trying to squeeze my script onto tiny pages. 

"What if I tried that new "record a message" function on my iPhone?" I wonder. Once I got over the silly self-consciousness of talking to myself, maybe I'd actually like it. 

A reader asked how in the world I manage to blog and sketch and paint, calling the effort "ambitious." She's right. And it may be unrealistic as well. Today, while I didn't  write in the journal, I did sketch some ideas for paintings. The results were similar, perhaps even better, than developing ideas with words. And I have to think that a sketch is worth a thousand tweets.

I define "living creatively" as living with the intention of creating desired outcomes, whether it be routine problem solving or wonderful art. It's the opposite of living like a victim, reacting to life's circumstances as they occur, or waiting for others to cause desired outcomes.

Despite the benefits of the daily journaling exercise I have fallen out of the habit. I could give you a dozen excuses, but the bottom line is that I've made other choices about how to spend my earliest morning hour. 

Now, however, as I contemplate new themes for my art and look forward to paintings not driven by school assignments and deadlines, I am once again pulling the spiral-bound journal from my shelf and convincing myself of the benefits. Based on previous experience, I can fully expect that the practice will:

- Connect me more deeply to daily experiences and thoughts

- Capture ideas that might otherwise fly by

- Serve as another planning tool for prioritizing and making good time management choices

- Produce fodder for writing and painting.

Stay tuned, dear reader, and I will report on this experience. If you have a similar practice or other ways to achieve these benefits, I'd love to hear about them.

If, at any time, you have questions, ideas, or comments, please use the "contact" button on the menu and send me a message.