by Joyce Marques Carey
Your weekend guests have left. Your four-year-old is at nursery school. It
is a beautiful morning to get right into the studio and make a ... make a
... what?
No ideas. Every creative person is familiar with the
problem -- the blank sheet of paper, the primed and empty canvas, the undressed
loom. Too much potential, and too little inspiration. What to do? You probably
have your own tricks for luring the muse; I would like to share some of mine.
Don't Stop at the End
Always leave something to finish on a project for your next work period,
or have something newly started. Even if all you do is tie up the fringes
or apply the last coat of varnish, it will get you back to work, and serve
as a transition from the outside world into the world of creativity.
Plan Your Next Work-Time
Make a date with yourself for next Tuesday morning, for example, and have
some idea of what you will be doing. If it helps, make a few notes to yourself.
"Process black-and-white film." "Weave last four inches." "Mix new batch
of medium." You can always change your mind, but a plan will at least give
you something to reject.
Study
Pin up sketches, photos, found objects, or materials or arrange them so that
you can consider the effect. I pin strips of fabric to my design wall or
make a stack of fabric that shows all the colors. During idle moments I might
add a strip of contrasting color, or take something away. The brain has an
amazing capacity to keep working on a creative problem while the rest of
the body is engaged in some other activity.
Act on Inspirations
Drop everything and try it out. If that isn't possible -- you are away for
the weekend or your mother-in-law is visiting -- record the idea. Make a
sketch, write a couple of notes, or do something to remind you of the idea
the next time you face the dreaded empty studio. We tend to think we will
remember a great idea without help, but the reality is that a hot idea cools
off fast if it isn't acted on.
Get Out Those Notes
Remember how much fun you had when you took a workshop with Famous Person
in 1988? Recreate the spirit and try one of the many variations that you
had no trouble thinking of during the workshop.
Do Anything!
Working gets the brain in gear. When I bought my loom it sat for a month
waiting for an inspiration that was worthy enough to justify this swell purchase.
Finally I wove a simple purse and that was enough to take away the burden
of making something of "enduring artistic value." Color studies or work samples
are great when you simply don't have an idea worth bothering with. The materials,
the structure, and simple act of working will get the process going.
Doodle
Carry some paper with you and doodle during free moments. Look for patterns,
surprises, interesting lines, and let them develop into an idea worth pursuing.
Take Notes, Clip Ideas
Remember those boring design note-books you had to keep in school? If you
did them for the teacher they were probably a waste of time, but if you keep
a folder of ideas, colors, materials, and visual information that appeals
to you. it is a great resource when your brain is dead.
Choose Any Idea
Sometimes we get bogged down because of too many ideas, rather than too few.
If you can't decide which of a dozen projects to work on, draw straws and
start. The menu may have too many great entrees to choose from, but the
restaurant will still be there when you get hungry again.
Try a Series
If you loved it in red, try it in blue.
Honor the Modest Inspiration
Waiting for a good idea before starting to work is like hoping to get rich
quick. Sometimes a simple idea, arriving with no fanfare, will become the
basis of an important discovery.
Play
Try something completely different. Maybe you are tired of what you usually
do. Your creativity is what is important: the medium is just a vehicle for
discovering yourself. In exploring a new medium you may find a whole new
world of expression that consumes you. At the least, you will break through
the creative blahs and enrich your store of ideas.
Beware of Critics
Smile and ignore anyone who says, "But what is it good for? What will you
do with it? Why did you use that color? My sister has been making those for
years. Did you use a kit?" Be proud of everything you make. Your best idea
is the next one.
Give Yourself a Break
If you are normally productive, you have learned that ideas and the urge
to create will always return, even when you think you have thought your last
good thought. Use the time to organize your slides, get caught up on paperwork,
organize your materials. The creative mind is a funny thing--sometimes it
needs to be respectfully ignored. It is like a shy person who becomes less
and less forthcoming under a barrage of questions. Let it alone and you will
find that, sure enough, you have produced a great new idea.
Joyce Marques Carey is a fiber artist in Madison, Wisconsin.
[Reprinted from The Crafts Report, June 1992]