Part of being a creative person, which of course we all are, although many of us don't realize that yet, is having the strength to make adjustments in the face of new possibilities. On the whole most humans regard change with suspicion, and a reluctance to leave behind the past.
The thing about creative endeavours is that one is constantly being presented with a smorgasbord of new choices. For example, what you are going to paint next is often a bit like a woman going clothes shopping. If she's like me and a bit reluctant to engage with that task, then there will be a definite feeling of resistance from within, to even begin looking for a new dress. The problem is that there is too much to choose from. So many different fabrics, styles and price tags.
Similarly it's not a simple task choosing a new thing to paint. I might find something that I really like, but recognize that it is beyond the bounds of my current ability to even tackle. This narrows the field down considerably, however now another choice presents itself. When I've found an image I would like to paint and have the skill to do so, then begins the task of working out the new possibilities for this particular work.
So what might that look like? Say for example that I've chosen landscape to paint and there is a telegraph pole in the middle of the photo...., well as an artist I can move that telegraph pole or take it out altogether I get to choose. In the picture below - the clouds are pretty spetacular, however there is a lot of other stuff that I might not want to put ino a painting.
Having now cropped the image, Ive got a much more interesting photo and with a little help from Photoshop to get rid of some bits I really didn't want- I have the beginnings of a pretty impressive cloud painting.
The only decision to make now is whether or not to leave the power lines in.......
One thing we have to do as creatives, is to look beyond, to learn to see the possibilities, not what is only apparent at first or even second look. This is why some artists repeatedly paint the same subject - continually exploring the different stories it has to tell.
What subject might you explore to a deeper level?
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