“The object is not to make art but to be in the wonderful state which makes art inevitable.”
Robert Henri, The Art Spirit
Ahhh...that state where the making of art is inevitable. It's a magic place to be.
I imagine quite a few people have worked this out - that it isn't actually always just about showing up doing something, anything, to get artwork happening. I know a lot of folk who spend time trying to create the space for art appear - to do the quiet meditation that will settle their minds and their thoughts; to play music that will encourage freedom and expression.
I don't often actively do anything - but I guess I have a few habits. I find that if I actually GO to the studio there is far more chance of me being creative artistically than if I don't. I also turn the radio on and listen to the ABC just to have a quiet conversation in the background. Sometimes I will flick thru books and see if I respond to anything; sometimes I will just tidy up and find things I had forgotten about as I am putting other things away, and a new path emerges.
It takes all sorts of things to create that space or state I think. Sometimes, and I don't know how, (but if I did I'd bottle it) you just show up and the creative art making is just spilling out of you, you are almost falling over yourself as you get this together and make that happen and follow that path...that wonderful wonderful state of artistic creativity is just powering along. You know, when you are in the zone?
One of the things that can sometimes help me along is to go for a walk, with a camera and see what I see and what happens next. The other morning as part of our daily walk I started out looking for violet and ended up getting almost the entire rainbow, there was so much colour... and then my mind turned to something about rainbow flowers and I wondered if a book might happen and then it just all went for a lovely meander into the state where anything is possible.
And then I woke up. (not really!)
Robert Henri, The Art Spirit
Ahhh...that state where the making of art is inevitable. It's a magic place to be.
I imagine quite a few people have worked this out - that it isn't actually always just about showing up doing something, anything, to get artwork happening. I know a lot of folk who spend time trying to create the space for art appear - to do the quiet meditation that will settle their minds and their thoughts; to play music that will encourage freedom and expression.
I don't often actively do anything - but I guess I have a few habits. I find that if I actually GO to the studio there is far more chance of me being creative artistically than if I don't. I also turn the radio on and listen to the ABC just to have a quiet conversation in the background. Sometimes I will flick thru books and see if I respond to anything; sometimes I will just tidy up and find things I had forgotten about as I am putting other things away, and a new path emerges.
It takes all sorts of things to create that space or state I think. Sometimes, and I don't know how, (but if I did I'd bottle it) you just show up and the creative art making is just spilling out of you, you are almost falling over yourself as you get this together and make that happen and follow that path...that wonderful wonderful state of artistic creativity is just powering along. You know, when you are in the zone?
One of the things that can sometimes help me along is to go for a walk, with a camera and see what I see and what happens next. The other morning as part of our daily walk I started out looking for violet and ended up getting almost the entire rainbow, there was so much colour... and then my mind turned to something about rainbow flowers and I wondered if a book might happen and then it just all went for a lovely meander into the state where anything is possible.
And then I woke up. (not really!)
Fiona, I think that ties in with your previous thoughts about living an artistic life. If you do then you, in theory at least, are in a wonderful state to create!
ReplyDeleteAh - to live a life which makes art inevitable. We all have glimpses of that, but imagine Irving a life like that ...... A simply beautiful quote and thought. X
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