breakTHROUGHArts
a free newsletter for visual artists

August 2003 Contents
I. Feature Article: Have it Your Way
II. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
III. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room, and the Shrink’s Couch
IV. Creative Links: Sites for visual artists
V. Newsletter Info: Sharing this newsletter, subscribing, and unsubscribing

I. Feature Article: Have it your way.
Whether we’re making fine art, fine craft, or a quilt for a new baby, we may get stuck because the techniques we know don’t get the effect we want.

We can go to more technique classes, but what often is missing at this point is a sense of what moved us to create the piece in the first place. When that’s the case, here’s another technique, this one based on going inwards, to reconnect to your original impulse, to midwife that unique something you bring to whatever you make.

Ask the question: “Why am I moved by this?

Then, write a sentence or two on whatever comes to mind. This takes and attitude of openness because what comes may initially seem irrelevant; keep going. Then, ask again, “why am I moved by this new element of what I’ve written?” Keep going in this circular fashion until something useful occurs or your energy runs out.

An example: Let’s say I’m making a quilt for my new nephew and am stuck on how to make the border. The first two tries did not capture the feeling I want.

I write the a few sentences and what comes out is my compassion for this new baby’s older sister who’s already had a hard life; I hope his is easier.

Now I ask – Why am I moved by this? And out of the next paragraph comes my wish that my nephew will have his sister’s courage; then comes an image, that of a golden lion.

Now I can work that color and motif into the border. It is loaded with energy for me and  the unique meaning I want to send to this new baby.

This is a repeatable exercise that calls on our verbal mind to come up with words about the deeper, subtle meanings we bring to whatever we make. Let me know how this works for you.
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II. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading

Bellwether. Connie Willis. 1997. This fun short novel, available in paperback, can get you thinking about how fads and new art directions catch on in our culture. Although the author is an award-winning science fiction writer, this work is very down to earth.

No More Secondhand Art. Peter London. 1989. This older treasure, still in print, brims with good discussions of the difference between newness for its own sake and originality based on your own inner resources. The twelve “creative encounters” he uses in workshops are exercises you can do alone or with a group. He also lays out guidelines for designing encounters on your own. Good resource for teachers.
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III. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room and the Shrink’s Couch
How new is new? It seems that creativity in the world of ideas is not always rewarded. Robert Sternberg, psychologist, reviewed research on acceptance of creative ideas and concluded that those that are one to two steps away from the familiar are those judged as breakthroughs; those that are totally new tend to be ignored and sometimes put down.

Does this apply to art? Certainly we all know of works, both visual and musical, that were initially met with outrage, only to be accepted later. Check out this idea through your reactions to others’ work. As you find yourself having strong reactions to a piece, either positive or negative, ask “Is it too far out for me?” “Is it just different enough to be interesting?” See if you can learn about your own yardstick for degrees of difference.
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IV. Creative Links
www.alexanderalliance.com If your creative work leads to aches and pains, check out this site for an approach to handling excess body tension. Teachers, especially, might want to scroll to the bottom to check out the “Complete Guide.”

www.hilarypfeifer.com A great site to visit for pure visual pleasure. The sculptor’s work is powered by the “constant human quest to understand and define what hidden elements make us who we are.” Her pieces and arrangements of them span the fine art/fine craft range.
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V. Newsletter Info

Get your monthly copy of breakTHROUGHArts by email. Go to Contact page now to sign up.
E-mail changes. To change your e-mail address, subscribe, or unsubscribe please e-mail breakthrougharts@dianereardon.com. If you use a spam filter, please add this e-mail address to your list of approved senders.
This material is included on the breakTHROUGH Creativity Coaching website
(www.dianereardon.com). All material is copyrighted ©, 31 July 2003, Diane Reardon. All rights reserved. Visit the website for back issues and details on scheduling a complimentary one-hour coaching session.
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