Never Start a New Project…

HAH!  You probably thought I was letting you off the hook creatively.  Don’t start celebrating yet…you haven’t heard the caveat behind that ellipses (…)

Here’s what the whole sentence is:  Never Start a New Project…until you have completed the old one.  (Shhh.  I hear you groaning.  Stop that.)

"Finished" in sign language

When you start a project and then stop to start another one, and then another one, et cetera, your creative energy gets spread too thin.  Each person only gets so many “attention units” that their mind can hold onto.  For each unfinished project, you leave behind attention units that cannot be freed up until the project is completed. 

Ask yourself…why did I quit working on that unfinished piece?  Perhaps you didn’t like the direction it was going, didn’t like the color scheme or even (gasp) thought you might have “messed it up” or ruined it.  Maybe you got bored.  Maybe you aren’t sure what stopped you in your tracks. 

I learned many years ago from one of my instructor’s, Stewart Cubley of The Painting Experience, that rather than quitting or destroying the unfinished piece, I should keep working on it.  Perhaps in order to continue it requires finding one small square inch area on which to focus.  Maybe it requires stepping back and choosing a different paintbrush or color.  Maybe it requires a short break—take a quick walk around the neighborhood or get some sleep, setting a specific appointment time (as if you were attending a class you’d paid a great deal of money to attend) to show up and start in the morning.

Sometimes we quit because we think we are bored—but I have found that the mind can be very canny at protecting us—and sometimes when I think I am bored, what I really am is afraid or emotionally churned up.  This is a prime time to force myself to continue working.  It is what often is the breakthrough point. 

The next time you have the urge to abandon a piece of art or writing, commit yourself to finish it before you will start a new project or destroy an unfinished piece.

The Olympics of Arts

In order to stay sharp and excel at any particular artistic endeavor or medium, just like an Olympic athlete, the artist must train and practice.  And just like an Olympic athlete, sometimes the product of that training is pain, an incompletion, or sometimes just bad choices.  In the world of art, this can take on the guise of messes, not having enough or the correct tools and supplies, not enough space to stretch out, too many other projects or items competing for the attention of the artist, or just plain ugly art.  With more practice, those errors and difficulties that arise early on become fewer and fewer and the quality of what is brought forth is better and better.

It is so important for the artist-in-training to remember that not all artwork is meant to be museum or gallery quality.  This can be a difficult concept for an artist to grasp because the creation is "ours" and who wants to admit they have created an ugly child?  As artists, we also like to shy away from such labeling, and of course, as with athletes and successes across the board in every industry, the ego does not like to admit defeat or failure.  While I am sure there are artists who, like Mozart, are able to make astounding art without any practice or flaws the first time out, for the majority, there is a training curve. 

This training curve requires first understanding the task to be undertaken.  It may require cross-training.  To begin working in glass, for example, first required knowing some basic facts about glass and skill sets:  what a coefficient of expansion is and why different COEs don't mix, some chemistry of glass since glass is made up of different recipes of ingredients and metal oxides, some of which don't play so well together and more basically, how the heck to score and cut glass.  Without these basic skills, a fused, torch or blown glass artist will run into many challenges.  And these are just the "stretching" exercises. 

Like an athlete, the training develops muscles--and memory skill.  The more one cuts a piece of glass, the better the ability to cut straight, make a good score the first time, not put too much or too little pressure on the glass as it breaks, find the 'grain' of the glass and become comfortable and efficient breaking glass scores by hand or with tools.  Athletes and coaches frown upon a "cold" rush into the pool or onto the track without proper warm up and certainly would not recommend trying to run a marathon if you have not yet mastered stretching, building up stamina and strength training.  At least not if you want to get very far, very fast.

Olympians are those who have practiced their craft daily, for hours at a time, pushing the boundaries of what they were able to do the day before, improving the quality of their end-product, and basically being involved in what an artist might consider "mass production."  The artist who only paints one painting a year is less likely to be good at it, much less supremely successful, because the skills and training have not been done.  Some artists believe they are above the "mass production" level of artwork, but in history, the most successful artists we know were prolific in their production of artwork. 

Grandma Moses, who began her career at the age of 78, practiced her skills regularly and by the time of her death at the age of 101 had created at least 1,600 recognized works of art and perhaps as many as 3,600. 

Copyright of Grandma Moses and estate--used with fair usage (education)

Front cover of her autobiography

A gold medalist indeed, whether or not you "like" his work is Pablo Picasso with an astounding "50,000 works of art, including 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics; 18,095 engravings; 6,112 lithographs; and approximately 12,000 drawings, as well as numerous linocuts, tapestries, and rugs, not to mention his letters, poetry and plays" (cf. Selfridge 1994, 102) ... or ... "1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 7,089 drawings; 30,000 prints (engravings, lithographs, etc); 3,222 ceramics; 150 sketchbooks ... With the addition of his personal wealth, his legacy was estimated on his death at an unbelievable 1,252,673,200 francs. " (cf. Robinson 1999, 10; cf. also Habarta 2000, 77) ... or "some 50,000 works that included 1,885 paintings, 1,228 sculptures, 2,880 ceramics, 18,095 engravings, 6,112 lithographs, 3,181 linocuts, 7,089 drawings plus 4,669 drawings and sketches in 149 notebooks, 11 tapestries and 8 rugs". *according to several different sources* 

Pablo Picasso "Girl before a Mirror"

© 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York  

Used under fair use (education)

Leonardo da Vinci is estimated to have painted a maximum of 30 paintings, but his other works include sculpture and a prolific amount of data collective for inventions of various kinds. His practice and training came in the form of sketches and studies for his artworks, for which he did numerous plans for each painting and for his inventions.  His notebooks are filled with the evidence of this extensive training.

Vincent Van Gogh reportedly painted about 900 paintings and produced about 1100 sketches.  This was accomplished over only about a nine year span of his life as he was not a painter for the entirety of his lifespan.

Another gold medalist of the art world, again whether or not you "like" him or his art is Andy Warhol, who, according to the Warhol Museum (they archive and catalog it so they would know) made more than 8,000 works of art by Warhol including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, film, videotapes, and an extensive archives.

Andy Warhol's silver clouds (c) The Andy Warhol Museum

used under fair use (education)

So, as an artist, there is a precedent for getting out there to "do art."  It is the driving passion of my life and even if it is only doodling or painting a background for an art journal, I MUST do some form of art every day. I don't know if I will ever reach the Art Olympics, but I continue to train, gain skills and improve my output.

Reinventing an Art Studio

I think I deserve a little pat on the back.  I have, so far, kept my resolution to blog at least 3 times a week.  It's not so difficult, so long as I do it before I really get going with the day.  Also find that I have many ideas of things I can blog about...which is exciting.

Today I'm sharing the excruciating and exhilarating process of setting up a new studio.  The difficulty with this set up is that the interior is already full up with the boxes of art supplies and because of timing of moving, I didn't have the chance to put in flooring, insulation/walls, paint, lights or electric yet and they will be done a bit by bit over time.  What a challenge.  Of course, I've always liked challenges.

So here is the new Bohemian Art Cafe, where we serve art, not food.TM

This will be the new studio in Florida.  It is outside of our home.  I will miss being a part of a studio conglomerate.  Am reinventing where and how I get my work seen and sold. But have already gotten two locations where I will be showing and selling my artwork and have a contract for teaching starting in the fall.  Will also be able to offer small classes (4 to 6 people) here for fusing glass, stained glass, and enamel work.  Might even be re instituting my Tuesday Night Art Socials since we will have large tables outside and if the weather permits would be able to seat about 20 people inside and out.

 I also will miss my enormous window but I might be able to convince my sweetie to install a big window at some time in the future.

One of the first things that had to get done was to install air conditioning.  With the temperatures outside around 90+ degrees Fahrenheit and humid and only going to get hotter, it just gets stifling inside the studio space.  There will be two A/C units which should keep things cool.  We will be adding insulation and wall covering a bit at a time.

Hmmm.  Depressing.  Lots to do and all crammed together.  It is a slow, slow process of set up.  Even getting the space "finished" will be piece meal.  I will be doing the floors with a black and white industrial rubber tile, insulating and covering the walls and ceiling, painting the walls and ceiling, and putting in additional electrical outlets and lighting, plus some additional shelving space.  Can't wait to see the "FINISHED" product.

I've allotted June to get unpacked.  I hope I have enough time allotted, considering it is already a third of the way gone.

Ahhhh, is that a path I spy????

The counters are installed and clear--ready to receive materials.

And the chemicals/toxins cabinet is now reachable and ready for items.

*sigh* Blessed organization beginning to appear finally.

Watch for weekly updates on the process.  I find that I get overwhelmed after about 4 hours at a time and have to take a break.  If I don't take the break, I end up just moving stuff from one box to another and going in circles.  Best to leave and get a clear head and start fresh.  I won't have an "office" in this studio but will use the PC and printer/scanner in the house to do any design work or proposals I'm putting together.  It really is exciting but wearying to create a new studio.  I also miss doing artwork--but of course, I'm working very hard on not making new artwork until I can get some of the work I already have completed sold.  Mostly, I will miss the flow of artists and visitors and the interaction/exchange of creative energy and ideas.  I will rely on the blogging community and the local art league heavily for this.

Well, ta ta for now.  It's time to....go unpack some boxes.