Creativity is just connecting things..
When I read the description of inspiration by the poet Coleridge, “as being attuned to the divine or mystical ‘winds’, and that the soul of the poet was able to receive ‘vision’ I initially thought his quote was referring to the elements of chance in creativity. It wasn’t till I read Steve Jobs’ quote, “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something.” Then it hit me; I understood what the poet Coleridge was referring to. It’s not just about chance, it’s about “seeing” the connections. All this time I was subconsciously making connections without knowing it.
By “seeing the connections”, I’m referring to our ability to find a common thread from a number of sources, to create from our own unique perspective. It’s in our experiences, and our ability to link random circumstances, that fuel creativity. Much like Kearn’s champagne cork accident to his eye lead to the reinvention of windshield wipers by linking the motion of the wiper to the human eye. He was able to received the “vision” by connecting two experiences.
Inspiration is all around us, we just need to be able to see the similarities between random occurrences and our own experiences. Like Coleridge described it, we need to be attuned to the mystical winds.
Accidents that occur..
Accidents that occur during the creative process can inspire a series of works; being at the right place at the right time can yield opportunities. A simple mistake can be a blessing in disguise.
Inspiration and the Mystical Winds
To me, inspiration from the Latin inpirare, meaning “to breathe into,” describes the birthing of creativity. A source of psychic energy that is continuously around us at all times; ready to be accepted by the right conduit. The poet Coleridge for instance believed that inspiration was received because the poet was attuned to the divine or mystical ‘winds’ and that the soul of the poet was able to receive “vision”. But how can we become a receiver of this vision? There are times when I’m painting and absolutely nothing comes together yet I get these blessed moments where splashes of color blend and spontaneous marks fall at the right place at the right moment in perfect harmony as if the image was preordained.
It seems that these mystical winds happen sporadically, or is it simply that we are not always aware of it. Maybe, this is why Coleridge described inspiration as a mystical wind, as it often comes through by chance and coincidence. One example, which has always captivated me, is Robert Kearn’s invention of the windshield wiper. Kearn’s source of inspiration has many mystical elements that seemed to have a role in forming the idea. On his wedding night a champagne cork accidentally hits his left eye almost leaving him completely blind. Then, decade later on a rainy night, he noticed how the constant movement of the windshield wipers aggravated his vision; at this moment, Kearn was able to connect the movement of the eyelid to the windshield wiper. He would reinvent the wipers to move every few seconds similar to the human eye.
There seems to be many accidental coincidences on how Kearn’s experiences aligned to create the perfect conditions to re-invent the wiper. Why only after all the rainy nights over the past decade from the experience with the cork was Kearn able to connect the motion of the eye to the wiper? Was it merely by chance, or was it simply that he required the time to connect the pieces together? Or was it that Kearn was ready to receive the vision and previously mentioned by the poet Coleridge?
When you see the accidental circumstances that lead Kearn to reinvent the wiper you wonder if he was picked by destiny. It seems almost magical how he was able to connect the movement of the eye to the window wiper. Is it mystical? Or is it just a matter of finding connections to our experiences that lead to inspiration. Yet, the elements of chance and coincidence makes me wonder if we are guided by an outside force greater than ourselves. If we are vessels waiting to catch our mystical wind. I hope I catch mine soon.
Site Sources:
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artistic_inspiration]: para 1
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_of_Genius_(film)]
And the day came…
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom,” This poem by Anais has always resonated with me, the imagery of the rose 
bud painfully clenching; afraid to blossom until it can no longer continue the exhausted bud surrenders.
The painting series titled “Closure” reflects my attempt to surrender. I once was the bud. I was the one who spent many years clenching tight and withheld all my feelings of self loathing and unworthiness. I was afraid to face my own darkness.
Then the day came where everything changed. I started painting with colours that I had never used before, bright reds, yellows and blues. I had an overwhelming desire to rip the surface to pieces, yet I yearned to mend it. I ripped, stitched, added colour on top of colour, added layers and ripped layers until I suddenly stopped. I took a moment and stepped back to observe the painting. I was suddenly engulfed with emotions, like a waterfall pouring over me; I experienced great sadness, anger and relief. What I saw was a manifestation of what I have struggled with internally. My desire to destroy myself and my need to heal; it was my time to surrender.
Ray of light
The more I paint the more I’m starting to understand that I need to distract myself from my daily thoughts in order to create work that is uniquely my own. When I do, concept of time disappears. I guess the best way to describe it, for example, is when you’re doing dishes and you find yourself staring into space, not thinking about anything, yet your body is in auto motion. It’s like you’ve fallen into a deep trance. When I painted the ray of light, I was so focused on the act of painting that I completely lost myself. I had no thoughts, no preconceived ideas, no attachments, and because of this I was able to connect to something deeper.
Art Affair Art Sale Dec 16th
Hello, Friends!
I’ll be selling four pieces at the Art Affair Dec 16th 5-10 pm at The Vancouver Club.
915 W. Hastings St. Vancouver
East side Crawl
Thanks for everyone who came to see my paintings at Octopus Studios!
Annoucement
Hello, friends!
I’ll be participating in the East Culture Side Crawl Nov 15, 16 and 17th. Hope to see you:)
Browse Artists | Eastside Culture Crawlwww.eastsideculturecrawl.com
Octopus studios
393 Powell St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1G5
Self-doubt
As an artist, you must be able to adapt to the fluctuation between high and low that comes with the creative process. The low periods — when you feel like you can’t finish a painting, or that a painting isn’t good enough — can be detrimental to the ego. No one wants to feel lost or unworthy, yet the artist must face self-doubt head on.
During periods of creative block, self-doubt may linger. Just for a couple days if you’re lucky, but if it lasts for weeks or months, you really need to have a strong faith that you can do it. When I’m stuck for a long period of time, I reflect back to the last painting I finished, and try to reverse my steps to see if there is a formula I can follow. But I can never find it. How can I reproduce marks left on the canvas, after weeks of layering and de-layering? There is no path, no directions; each painting has its own journey, its own trials to overcome. But in the end, I know that chaos is essential for the creative process.
What we see as failed attempts can be opportunities for growth if we’re open to it. We need to have a sense of detachment; to see mistakes as lessons, rather than focusing on our inability to complete a painting. It’s not easy to keep our ego happy during times of self-doubt, but as an artist — whether we’re visual artists, dancers, musicians, or writers — we create because we feel alive when we do it. Otherwise, we would have quit a long time ago.
