Hanging Out In The Void: Give Space For Inspiration
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Any great artist, architect, writer or performer will likely say the same thing about their craft; the best work is inspiration followed by great effort to bring the vision into being. The effort may be difficult and halting, or graceful and almost trancelike, but the vision begins as a notion, idea, or object brought into form through endeavor. The moment of inspiration is often an important element to creation. There are artists that have ceremonies to help induce the inspired moment; sitting at Drafting Tables, in comfortable Drafting Chairs, or standing on a stage, or sitting on a particular bench in a park. It’s not the bench, the tables, or the music that creates inspiration and inspiration sometimes feels like nothing more then an inclination. Inspiration something as simple as a vague desire to make a box not ugly, or it might be a vision that makes the heart weep. No matter how big or how small the vision, inspiration comes from somewhere, from the void comes an idea, then there was motivation to bring something into the physical world.
One of the most difficult aspects of the creative arts is living in the place of not knowing. It is the place where the artist has a vague sense of an idea or concept, maybe a blank canvas, or an open dance floor, but hasn’t found the thread that will begin to connect the spaces or themes. It is a critical time for any artist and often many start organizing the vision too quickly. It is a bit like pulling a a cake out of the oven before it is ready. In the middle of the chaos, ideas and thoughts are flying around and need time to bump and mingle until they begin to find a natural place to rest in the artists head.
Even something like painting a landscape requires far more then just plopping an easel down in the road and picking up the paints. There is the question of where to set the easel and what captures his or her eye. Is it the light hitting the barn that caught the artists attention, or the reflection of the clouds in the marsh? Even an artist that plans to set up in a random spot, open their eyes and paint what is in front of them, has taken the time to be inspired by the possibility of randomness and finding the form in an arbitrary spot.
Taking the time to be still, to vision, feel, see, hear or even taste, provides a fertile ground where great visions are born. It is tuning the senses to experience the world, imagined or real, that allows it to take shape and come into form. An architect will study buildings, walk through them, feel the tile beneath their feet and allow this to feed the brewing idea. A dancer will stand quietly for a moment, feel the music or urge to move and explore it.
Allowing space for the unknown is an important part of any creative vision. The vision will emerge out of the chaos and likely shift and grow as it is brought into form.
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