What I'm Doing When I'm Working
Life as an artist is very different than life in the corporate world where so much time is spent in an office or cube pretending to work while checking out a favorite social media site or reading peoples blogs. Artists don't NEED a crackberry although many of us would be lost without an iPhone for the camera/video and credit card apps we also tend to believe we could turn it off if it had such a switch.
Artists work differently, sometimes we are in our studios busily creating or at our computers marketing ourselves and our products or doing bookkeeping or any number of other tasks related to running a business but we also work while we are doing other things. No, not like the annoying person standing behind you in the checkout line who is trying to make the biggest and loudest sales deal, I'm talking about writing in journals, drawing in sketch books and going for walks. I can't tell you how often I've been inspired by some architectural element or (dare I say it?) something in nature that I see while taking a walk with the dogs. Sometimes I'll be thinking about a new form or surface decoration and realize that I'm just staring into space. Try telling your corporate VP that daydreaming really is work. If you work for a creative type you may get a promotion, someone else and you may get a pink slip.
I'm curious, what kind of work can you be seen doing when you're not really looking like you're working?
Other Stuff:
Creativity Portal Find ideas for arts and crafts, creative living, writing, and prompts–or if all else fails, get creativity coaching.
Logic Puzzles. Solve these free timed, logic puzzles that provide an easy-to-use solving grid.
StumbleUpon takes you to web pages, photos, and videos handpicked by your friends and like-minded people.
Planet Sark website about creativity and creative action.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
Other Stuff:
Creativity Portal Find ideas for arts and crafts, creative living, writing, and prompts–or if all else fails, get creativity coaching.
Logic Puzzles. Solve these free timed, logic puzzles that provide an easy-to-use solving grid.
StumbleUpon takes you to web pages, photos, and videos handpicked by your friends and like-minded people.
Planet Sark website about creativity and creative action.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
I wrote about this yesterday: falling asleep and getting an idea and drawing it out!
ReplyDeleteGary - You gotta love that sleeping can be working.
ReplyDeletetaking a cat nap, half asleep and half awake, sitting in my studio chair staring out the window or just moving my tools around in the studio for no reason, the ideas are cogitating in my brain at those times, they come out when they are ready, and then there is that tree face you saw, Lori. Ha.
ReplyDeleteOh I forgot to mention, writing my blog, when I look at photos of my own work on the screen they are completely different looking than when I see them in person and that gives me more ideas.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Lori!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's a learned technique or artists just know how to be receptive - while walking, doodling, napping. Inspiration is all around for everyone - but I believe you have to be receptive -- maybe artists have learned to be open to that spark. In fact I like to walk away from what I'm working on - so that I have a chance to be further inspired.
Linda - I find reading blogs works too, I get inspired by people who do very different work than mine. I guess we take an element.
ReplyDeleteJudy - I think you're right about open receptors, artist seem to see the world differently (see Linda's comment about the face in the tree). Walking away is very good, I guess we return with new eyes.