Tuesday, May 30, 2006

about seeing

I'll get to THE BOOK - but first, I have to apologize for being away from the page for a while. I needed to re-energize. Alas, I will be banished from the Ted Orland Fan Club if I do not keep the Studio Door open. I found myself nodding (no, not OFF - the book is too lively for that) and writing in the margins of The View...etc, wishing I could pick up the phone and chat with the author as I went along - or better still -- do it over a bottle of wine, which, of course, lends itself to brilliant philosophical discussions. Whether you've finished the book, have just started it, or have not even seen a copy, chime in! There are some universal truths, some stuff that seems geared for students and doesn't necessarily pertain to - ahem - mature, working artists -- and lots of questions to ponder. I found one typo and I wasn't even looking. Mr.O!!!! Fire your editor!!! But I digress... A couple of things off the bat that I'd like to explore: "Creativity is not about artmaking per se-- it is about seeing." Yes, it is about seeing, but it is also about how you translate what you 'see' into what others can see: how you communicate your own vision. If you don't have the tools to do that, it doesn't matter how creatively you SEE. (Why do I always paint myself into corners when I am too tired to work my way out? I am leaving you with that thought and am going to bed.) If you are reading the book, please comment. And if you are not, please comment.

3 comments:

Mary Beth said...

Hmmmm I think I nodded over that part too. Something in my head went "do the work, gain enough mastery of your medium that you can get what's in your head out so others can see it too."

I think there's also a bit of introspective type seeing too -- noticing what it is that you see. That's a useful sort of knowledge.

Judy said...

I totally "see" what you are saying about seeing, and I do agree.

I have a Ted Orland and David Bayles quote pinned to one of the draperies in my sewing room. It reads, "The seed of your next work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections (or mistakes, if you're feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides -- valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides --to matters you need to reconsider or develop further."

I like what that says, and I read it over and over again! However, I would be more gentle and not use the work imperfection or mistake!

Have a great trip dear one!
xo

quiltcontemplation blogspot said...

for me-hearing is just as important as seeing. I hear words that need to be written in a distinct way. Is the experience different for writing? When I do visual art it is not the same. Rather I need to focus.
hmmmmm awkwardnicities?? haahaha that is bound to appear in the Oxford English Dictionary one day:) I have ordered the book- so if I am not playing by the rules(are there rules?) I plead ignorance.

soup weather in June and a little more

DISCLAIMER: Blogger is giving me grief tonight, which you will see by the varying sizes of the type. Ye p, soup weather and it's ...