Is your artwork truly derivative or simply recycled?
Visual artists are inspired from their environment. Whether that be the woods behind their cabin in Colorado or a colorful design on a Starbucks coffee bag in Manhattan. We draw inspiration into both our conscious mind as well as our subconscious mind.
But there is a difference between your finished work being derived from outside stimuli and simply recycling another artists ideas.
This can be a hard habit to break. But recycling other's work into your own can be the kiss of death for your own creativity. Artists are like snowflakes. Each is unique. Don't cheat yourself out of this precious gift.
Idea Pollution
Think about it. When was the last time you saw an absolute original piece of art that didn't remind you of anyone else's work on planet earth?
Yes, every artist builds on the artwork and images of those who came before. But once in while, one breaks from the pack, creating sheer genius. Wouldn't you like that to be you?
The first step to reducing pollution is simple: stop recycling.
In order not to pollute, your ideas must go beyond “just recycled”. Your ideas must come from deep within yourself or straight from the natural world. Try not to simply build upon the ideas of others.
Chicken Anyone?
Refrain from taking the painting of the chicken by an artist you admire and jazzing it up with your own style of background, textures, and color. Instead, go sit on a bench for an entire afternoon watching real, live chickens.
No sketching, no photos -- just watching chickens. Allow them to penetrate your soul.
Go back to your studio and observe what kind of chicken your hand releases now. I suspect it will be original, not recycled.
Three steps to stop recycling and start creating:
ONE: Remove external stimuli from your studio. Use only your mind and spirit to recall the patterns, colors, and images that are inspiring you. Forget photos, other artist's work, and the media.
TWO: Sketch more. Start by sketching a mental image of your inspiration source. Turn the page and sketch it again, building on the first without referring back to it. Do this about three times and you will produce work that might indeed be derivative but is NOT recycled.
THREE: Try Visual Fasting. Go a day or even a week without looking at anyone else's artwork. Yes, that means FAST from reading the art blogs, websites, forums that most of us love to linger. See what your brain and soul produces for you during the fast.
The sooner you learn to break away from the pack, the sooner you will begin to discover what is really inside you. And as you learn to release you own original ideas, others will begin to notice your artwork in a new way. Go ahead, break away!
Cindy Davis ~ Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Davis has lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee and most recently Jacksonville, Florida before relocating to Albany, Georgia in 2005. Painting professionally for over five years, Ms. Davis has exhibited her work throughout the Southeastern United States.
Her paintings has been exhibited in solo and group shows at Albany Council for the Arts, Fort Valley State University, Phoebe Memorial Hospital, Turner Center for the Arts, the Georgia National Fair, and other locations throughout Georgia and Florida.
She is a member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters and the Womens Caucus for Art of Georgia. A self-taught artist, she holds a BS degree in Economics from the University of Tennessee.
Find Cindy online at http://www.cindydavisart.com/
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This article is courtesy of the MMCA Marketplace Blog, a
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Great article! Well said, and needed to be said! I like the idea of sketching more until the work is more "yours" than "theirs". That's a perfect habit to form-now to haul out a sketchbook:)
Posted by: sue pieper | March 2010 at 11:47 AM