I am a self proclaimed control freak....well, not in every aspect of my life but in my art i could definitely be classified as controlling.
In my earliest days of classes i remember coming in with a plan...i want this paper, this image, to go in this place in my house and i knew exactly where i wanted to hang it...
More often than not i was finding myself sitting and observing what everyone else was doing and not producing anything...nothing...nada, squat! I was in complete AWE. One of my first art teachers, Christina Lovisa, had this "je ne sais quois" attitude about painting that i just didn't understand. It just flowed...seemed to come out of nowhere, like she was being directed. She taught me that you just have to ask and let the paper, images, and ephemera speak to me..."let IT guide you!"
As i has evolved in my painting and as an artist i have learned to let go! I don't go in with a plan, i don't have an idea of what i want to do, it just do something. I guide my hands over the paints and see who jumps out...i flip through the images and see what i connect with.
I'm a work in progress, i must admit...i still have my moments of control, but i have to say...it's amazing what you can produce when you LET GO!
This was the first piece i did in a class @ St. Elmo's Fire in Stittsville with Christina....
We we not allowed to talk for the first 30 minutes...we did a short meditation and she read from a great book of daily inspirations called "The Artist's Way"...we were then directed to just open our minds and create...
If you're looking for a great way to jump start your creativity check out
www.st-elmosfire.com for great classes for all levels of creativity!
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