The Creative Process

 

People ask me about my creative process sometimes. They ask me, “How do you go about making a painting?” I like this question. I think about the answer a lot. I don’t think most people realize how much is required of a painter. Painters—good painters-- must be so many things: writers, builders, craftsmen, philosophers, story-tellers, critics, illustrators, innovators, speakers, readers. They must be committed to constant, serious self-improvement.

Every artist has their own method of art-making. We all have to figure out how to best balance the joys and frustrations of creativity in order to produce something good. Here are some of the most important things I do in order make work. Hopefully, if any of you are artists, it will prove helpful in your process as well.

 

Paint a lot

I think this is the rule for any skill: if you want to be good at it, do it all the time. Writers have to write every day. Runners have to run. Piano players have to play that piano. Same thing with painters. The more I paint, the better I am at painting. It’s a joy, but it’s also a discipline. You’ve got to get your body in the right place, and give yourself plenty of space to spread out (making stuff is messy.) In school, I had the luxury of going to class and painting or drawing, uninterrupted, for up to 7 hours at a time. That’s how I improved. don't let your fears of “messing up” keep you from creating. Messing up is good, it teaches us better than anything. And besides, it’s like my professor once told me, “It’s not like you’re Evil Kaneval on a motorcycle. If you screw up, it’s not like you’re going to die. What’s the worst that could happen? You make a bad drawing? Fine, make 10 more-- maybe one will be good.” If you have a 10 percent "success" rate, count yourself a winner at this game. Just commit to doing it and not giving up. I heard once that if you do something for 20 minutes, you’ll be in the groove of that thing and continue it. So tell yourself you’re going to paint or draw for just 20 minutes. See what happens.

 

Develop your ideas and make a plan

Before birth: impregnation. Good art doesn’t come out of the blue. At least not for me. I need to collect images, reference photos, and ideas. I need to immerse myself in the work of artists I admire, and really think about what they do and why. I need to journal about my ideas and thought processes so that I have a better understanding of what’s important to me. I have to lie in bed at night and visualize a completed painting before I approach the canvas.

I think good art is the result of deep meditation, inspiration, and conviction. I’m not saying an artist needs to know the answers to all the questions they ask in a painting. I’m not saying that it’s even necessary to have a fully articulated concept on the onset: sometimes, meaning comes as we are making. I do think it’s important, however, that an artist have a measure of intentionality and thoughtfulness to their work. If there is not concrete purpose in a painting, that’s okay, but there should at least be some desire or journey to arrive there.

I think this is important because it keeps art from becoming hollow. Too often, art terminates on itself. It ought to, in my opinion, point beyond itself to something higher. Art is a vessel, a language, a conduit: its power is its ability to make us think, feel, and be transported to another frame of mind. Art informs our world in countless ways. As artists, we have something of a responsibility to make images that are of substance and cognitive value.

For this reason, I seek out inspiration. I read, I write, I research, and I collect. I make myself speak out loud about my concepts. I have a plan when I go to the canvas. Sometimes that plan is changed and I am taken by surprise by my own hand. That’s okay with me; it’s exciting. But at least I know I’m being intentional about my craft.

Keep a Sketchbook

This is the practical way to do draw a lot and collect inspiration. If you have a sketchbook, you can easily jot down your ideas, thoughts, etc. You can draw anywhere and everywhere. You can make plans for  paintings. You can paste in reference material. My sketchbooks are invaluable-- I have boxes and boxes full of them. They’re like a diaries, in a way: reminders of where I was in life, what I was thinking, and what was important to me. It’s like speaking to yourself in from the past, securing the validity of your thoughts in the moment.

 

Have conversations about your art

This is so important. In the end, I think it was the most valuable thing about art school. Surrounding yourself with people who can thoughtfully consider and discuss with you the content of your art is so valuable. You’ll work out your ideas better if you talk about them. You’ll also protect yourself from getting wrapped up in your own head. Outside perspective soften points out the obvious things we miss on our own. Encouragement is necessary. So is criticism. If you can learn to receive criticism well (to weed out what is useless and use what is useful) your work will benefit. It just will. You have to be able to hear hard criticism too. There will always be someone who hates your art. You have to have enough confidence to accept that and continue on with what you do anyway. If you see value in it, someone else will too.

To see more of my paintings, visit my website at http://stephiestalvey.wix.com/paintings#!home/mainPage

PS- all photos are from the 3rd floor studio at Memphis College of Art, my senior year. What a a great experience that was.