CULTIVATING CREATIVITY - PART III

In my last article, I emphasized the need for community. I am now going to return to the need for solitude. The solitude this time will take you out of your studio and into the world.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Parisian artists originated an activity called “Derive” which means “drifting”. At that time Paris was becoming a new city of modern (for the time) buildings and wide boulevards. The artists wanted to bring that newness into their art through absorbing the environment. Their approach was to “derive”: take a gentle walk, alone, through the city. The aim was to discover something new about the area, to get to know a place in a different way than they did before, and remember that difference. Through this discipline, they brought a freshness to their art that has come to us as the Impressionist Movement.

Walking is an exercise in heightened listening. As we walk, we awaken our neural pathways and make them more sensitive. Walking opens us up. If you are stuck in the midst of a creation, leaving the studio and going for a walk is often the best solution. John Muir said, “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

I suggest that you take one “derive” each week. Each time find a different place to explore. It is important that you not have a preplanned route. If you live in the country, you may wish to go to the city and walk there. The idea is to stretch your territory. You are using this walk to fill your image trunk because art uses images to build on and grow. Let yourself drift and notice the world around you. Look out for graffiti, words on shop-signs and posters if you are in a city environment. Notice plants, rocks, or the sky like you have never seen them before if you are in a country setting. Talk to local people, take pictures, and absorb the surroundings. You will come back from these trips with a fresh outlook and possibly some new ideas for your artwork.

Another way to explore is to visit a museum, antique store, book store, or second hand store – alone. When you are alone, your thoughts and feelings will come to the surface and react to what you are looking at without the influence of another’s perception. You might find some small thing to purchase that inspires you to create in a new way. Or in a museum, you may see a familiar art piece in an entirely new way. I once went to a showing of Audubon’s bird lithographs and came away with inspiration for my “Goose with Her Golden Egg” mixed media painting that was hung and won an award  at the International Acrylic Painters Exhibit. If I had not spent time alone at the exhibit, that painting would not exist. I often go to a local Dollar Store and come away with a variety of materials to use in my collages. Ideas come to mind as I see these common objects in a new way.

A creative life is grown through process. A common saying is “food for thought” but actually, an artist needs thought for food. Walking, observing, absorbing replenishes our over tapped creative well and gives us material to create.