The book revisited

OK - one more post from the book "Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process". Consider these:

The refining and time consuming process of self-awareness is one of the biggest and most beautiful steps an artist can take toward creating deeply connected art that calls your audience to more.

If it doesn't mean anything to the artist it won't mean anything to the audience.

We believe in something because the stories they tell give meaning to our lives. In the end, you still must decide what kind of story you will tell.

Your art will never advance unless you are curious about its boundaries and why it sometimes doesn't work the way you want it to. We should approach our failures with curiosity.

Becoming a great artist is about sitting and paying attention to the world that is passing everyone else by.

Beauty is a tricky, slippery bugger. But she must be captured, given shape with our bare hands and open hearts, and then reflected out into the world.

PIC-OF-THE-WEEK

 Another shot from the cool place we visited last week (Hot Rod City).

 

Getting there is important

I rarely post something from someone else in its entirety, but I think this is worth it (from Blaine Hogan):

You must understand that your art is not just what you make but how you make it. Your art isn't just the “what” of the end result, but also “how” you got there.

When we don’t allow for our end products to be birthed out of true artistic and creative processes that honor the “how” and even the “why,” the artist will be unable to infuse it with any internal significance. If it doesn’t mean something to the artist it won’t mean anything to the audience.

Weʼve all been in meetings or conversations about a piece of art where the following question is uttered:“Did it work?” This is not a question of art. This is a question for your washing machine. “Did it work?,” is not a bad question, there just might be better ones like…

Did you bring your insides out?
Did you acknowledge the lump in your throat?
Did you tell a compelling story?
Did you try something new? Something risky?
Did you work from your center?
Did you allow yourself to be moved?

We must put as much time into our “how” and our “why,” as we do our “what.”

This is how we make our process a work of art.

 PIC-OF-THE-WEEK

 I love to take farm photos. Yes, I did stretch the sky a little in Photoshop - couldn't resist.