Warm Up
 Bend
Wire
Bend wire. Quickly form graceful curves.
Extend into space with form.
Build stairs, limbs, geometric formations.
Now look between the lines; See shape.
Understand its limitations.
Electric energy, life outlined,
lacking color, texture, mass.
Smoosh Clay
Smoosh clay
Imprint, roll, shape
Feel its willingness to respond
Learn its limits, the point at which an underlying structure is needed
Arrive at a peaceful destination, reflect on the shape you have made,
Feel the connection wane, a touch of boredom.
Allow your hands to fold the object in on itself, unformed again, ready.
Feel no loss. Then reshape.
Repeat this cycle. Recognize the expansion and contraction of your creative
self.
Accept the fluidity.
Form a patty and focus on texture.
With a toothpick, draw curving parallel lines.
Cross your pattern. Smoosh the clay to form another blank canvas.
Try repeating thumb prints. Notice the fine texture of your print.
Pierce a hole through, and circle the toothpick, widening the hole.
Repeat that throughout. Find objects in your environment with texture.
Press the clay to it, and see the relief pattern on the clay.
Weave rolls of clay and work on joinery.
Do you prefer joints that are perfect seams, where 2 are now 1?
Or would you rather have the two pieces barely meet?
Random
Resist the temptation to glue, fix, put in place.
Allow the pieces to assemble themselves.
Bring together random scraps—leaves, shavings, spices—
Circle your fingers through them, like a kaleidoscope.
See them assemble into pleasing and semi-recognizable shapes.
Chance intervenes in design.
Let go the need for control.
Notice the ease, efficiency, and speed of the outcomes.
Production unfolds without strain or worry.
Limit your involvement.
Choose when to start and stop.
Shave the crayon.
Drop curled pieces
atop unlined paper.
Turn on the warming plate.
Watch the crayon melt,
colors flow into each other.
The point? Lose control.
Mature Rebellion
Return to the magical time of childhood.
Wonder, awe, simplicity.
What was fond for you?
Washing egg dye down the sink?
watching the trees bend?
 Moments
of transformation and surprise.
Now imagine a javelin pierced through the ground.
When did it stop? When was your sense of wonder diminished?
Was it an adult’s insistance to draw inside the lines?
What do you have to say about that now?
Scribble all over the lines and enjoy your mature rebellion.
Find Art
Can you find beauty in the junk yard?
Not the making-do kind of beauty,
but heart bending moments
to rival a mountaintop.
If not, try. It’s useful!
In being inspired, you are filled with spirit.
Tap this partner; Feel the connection.
With routine, strengthen it.
 Burn
thru
Burn wood.
Smell and see the smoke rise.
Press down and into the surface.
Fascination begins at the curling of the smoke.
Follow, enjoy the grain.
See it curve around knots
Knowing years of persistance, resistance
Shaped its course.
Carve
Dig into the open surface.
Pivot the tool, use leverage,
Feel muscles flex.
Apply pressure, long, even steady.
Repeat.
Then short bursts, staccato.
Feel your moods alter as you keep time.
Urgency builds and wanes.
 Anytime,
Anywhere
Discovering beauty, experiencing wonder, creating the new
Does not require time, money, talent.
Materials are all around us. Beckoning.
Blades of grass, rust stains on cement.
Two seconds to arrange 4 golden leaves; 8 words jotted down, mesmerized,
as beads of water roll across the windshield.
Communication as an art form: Vectors in a bar, Talking with strangers.
Random, pointed, tangential.
Simple acts: Selection, placement, combination
Tap
Material s
suggest moods, memories, associations. Shake it up.
Begin with the sentimental. Place objects with meaning before yourself.
Rest your eyes on each and drift. Trace connections. Imagine nerve synapes
firing in response. Categorize the types of reaction—a rush of
warmth, a smile, feelings of frustration.
Next learn the power of everyday objects—a dirty sink, the creak
of a door, a tidy desk. Manipulate these surroundings, and feel your
mood change.
Now mix it up. Introduce yourself to the unusual. Curled metal shards
from the junk yard, evidence of high drama, but not your own. Worn china
from an antique shop
How does it make you feel?
Break it up
Choose a physical object with which you have an emotional connection.
Perhaps it is a piece of furniture that you feel burdened with, or a
photo. For starters, pick something that is not too powerful a connection,
and which you feel quite sure you won’t regret to lose. Now fix
your sights on the object and consider how you want to release some
energy. Do you want to tear, crumple, pound on the pavement, enclose,
hide, fold? Do you want a pair of scissors? What would make you feel
good? Now do it. Feel your enjoyment. Consider this base desire in yourself.
Now feel how the urge wanes as you progress, as your internal emotions
come into equilibrium with your external actions. Ponder over the experience
and set guidelines for yourself. What amount of release is healthy for
you? What are the risks?
 Bullseye
Identify some barriers, pin them to a dart board, see which one you
hit closest to. Then brainstorm on 3 ways you can face that barrier.
Need some starter sheets?
Barriers to creativity are different for everyone; Some include:
Apathy / Fear of dreams and nightmares / Inferiority / Confusion, don’t
know where to start when faced with a blank surface / Stupid / Silly
/ Child’s stuff / Showing a weak front / Defying conformity /
Small towns / Ugliness / Illusion of perfection in others / Need to
be productive / letting go of control / too barbaric / don’t want
anger, fear to leak out / don’t want embarrasing feelings to leak
out / parents, friends wouldn’t approve and/or understand / fear
of the unknown / fear of showing off / fear of exposure – letting
the real self show through thoughts, words and images / left brain doesn’t
want to give up domination over right / uncomfortable with inner judge’s
dissatisfaction with creative ventures / county codes (social laws and
expectations over presentation (yard art))/ gremlins / fear of time
that slips away, fear that enthusiasm will overtake wisdom in time management
/ fear of time that slips away— conscious brain missed out on
a few precious moments (entertwined with fear of death) / fear that
subconscious will get lost, and will not know how to return self to
reality / fear of rapid change / Rubberband factor, fear releasing pressure
caused by repression of hopes, dreams and creative energy.
|
