Is Your Creative Spark Under the Weather?
I Know It’s Been a Tough Winter, but Spring Is Nearly Here
There are few signs of springtime where I live. One more snowstorm is in the weather forecast. Cabin fever has a tight grip on me! Each day challenges me to get into the studio and get my creative juices flowing. So, I tried something new, and it worked. I stretched a 4 x 3-foot canvas and took a more intentional approach to the painting. The result was the first in a triptych of images, interesting to look at and loaded with environmental and social messaging. Something long dormant popped through, and I’m happy about it.
Style vs Style – Is It Okay To Change Your Style?
If you develop a style that is recognizable as yours, you might hesitate to explore new ideas creatively. Could you lose your audience if you strike off in a different direction? You could. Or maybe your audience will stick with you because they want your unique artistic energy to enhance their lives. My new work is not as free-wheeling or seemingly intuitive. The colors are dull. The spaces are well-defined. Every element is an illustrative representation of an idea that supports the theme. I am equal parts loosey-goosey and by-the-letter. In the end, I gotta be me!
Not Everyone is For Everyone
We are all different in the ways we tell and receive stories. As an artist, I want to focus on the stories emerging from inside of me, mingled with exterior observations. That mix is sometimes more easily received and understood as a visual than, say, an essay or a speech.
I’ve been feeling that I shouldn’t stray from what I’ve been doing, but I know that there is a third evolution to come if I let it happen. I had to take a moment to accept that not everyone will like the abstract graphic work. And it’s not an either-or situation. After completing the first in the graphic abstraction triptych, I created a beautiful abstract landscape that came easily because of a discovery I’d made while painting the graphic piece.
Go With the Flow!
Follow your ideas as far as they will take you, knowing there are millions more ahead!
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See you next time. Thanks for reading.