Becoming more creative

Don Burt · Post by **Don Burt** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 9:09 pm

Tony Smith wrote:
My aspiration is to be really good at fusing. I'm not a very talented artist, so I know my fused glass will never be remarkable.

This wasn't your main point, much was clipped in the quote, but it caught my eye. Your refrigerator magnet was free-form and evocative of feelings one doesn't get out of a box of crystal etched-awards for an insurance company (even if you use Balmoral font on the awards). I haven't seen much of your work, but I know talentlessness when I see it, and I don't see it.
Extra talent just makes art easier*. The rest is just study, practice, and will. If you care about design and visual expression, you'll evolve. the only thing that would get in the way is a lack of confidence. I don't state this while holding any credentials (my mom will certify me as being brilliant though), I believe it nonetheless.
If you have no talent for design or expression, and no aspirations, why do you like certain artists' work more than others? And your favorites list is growing each day isn't it? Why are you finding yourself looking at graphic design more and more each day? Have you been caught recently staring at a woman's earrings, or the design in the fabric of her blouse? Almost got too close to that guy in the supermarket line while looking at his tattoo, didn't you? Getting ink all over your paper napkin drawing before lunch is served and making it unusable? Admit it, you're growing artistically. Problem is you're going to get bored with those stock blasting jobs.

*that bicycle seat and handlebar bull's head contrivance that picasso hung on a wall will eternally remind me that some people have it too easy when it comes to creative talent. It still pisses me off that picasso was making erotic lithographs and smoking non-filters at age 90. Mozart was more appropriately compensated. Harry Clarke too.

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Mon Apr 21, 2003 10:16 pm

Don,

Thanks for the kind words. I said I'm not a very talented artist, because I feel that way. I have no formal art training... the closest I ever came was graphic arts in high school. I've always been involved with the technical side of the arts which probably explains my attraction to sandblasting and fusing.

I don't do any of the things that you describe, and that makes me feel even less artistic. I look at earings like Els makes and ask "how can she work on pieces that small?" I look at tattoos and I think of Hepatitis. I hear other artists talk about the colors found in nature, and about the shapes of the rocks juxtaposed with the trees and I see granite and wood... structural building materials.

I am learning, and the magnets this year were really my first venture outside my precise, technical box. I've also been practicing using flowers in some of my bowls. They don't look too bad (in fact I'm proud of them), and my wife appreciates them... but technically, the bowls are also very well made (a comment I hear a lot from people who see my work)

... nicely rounded edges, uniform, smooth surface with some texture and a beautiful, uniform, matte-finish sandblasted onto the back before slumping.

So thanks again. And, I really am working on it.

Tony

Patty Gray · Post by **Patty Gray** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 3:09 am

Well Tony, you may feel you are not as talented as some glass artists but you are developing, venturing into the unknown for you. The excitement of color, combining it with others is so exciting. I think that with your natural awareness and wanting to know how everything works will allow you to evolve, create and experience things you never thought you could. I have found that some people, coming from an engineering background, feel or experience the tight rules of what is right and wrong and have a little trouble letting themselves relax enough to reach into their inner self or just relax enough, try something they would never have ever thought they would and see the results. It's very stimulating, very exciting to see this process. What is exciting about glass and other artistic venues is that you can bend some of the rules, experiment and discover a whole new world. I think that Leonardo da Vinci is a perfect example of one who was extremely knowledgeable about so many things, experimented to the fullest and created wonders for all of us to admire.

This has been a great topic/thread for the BB.

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 10:04 am

Quill wrote:Quote:
I look at tattoos and I think of Hepatitis.

I had to laugh, you sound just like my husband. However at the advanced age of 52 he did finally cave & got one & now is planning his next.

Now about your art... your pieces are beautiful, how dare you suggest they aren't!

You are very talented. Please give yourself the credit you deserve.

I didn't say I wasn't talented, just not a very talented artist.

Thanks

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 1:04 pm

Tony...

Suffering from the logical traps associated with being schooled in the rigors of the scientific technique? The critical thinking that is a cornerstone of scientific research denying you room for creativity? I am tarred with the same brush (long time in grad school and industry) and festered with self doubt about "art and creativity" for a long time.

Interestingly I think the scientific mind and the creative process go hand in hand. People that cause shifts in scientific thinking, paradigms, are generally thought to be great scientists. You know... the Einsteins. But more importantly they are extremely independant and creative thinkers.

Then I heard the findings of a study that essentially said that if you believe that you are creative then you will become creative.

Sounds simple enough. I tried to "accept" that I was creative (in spite of the scientific approach). Then I began to "relax".... didn't try to analyse everything ... just let things happen. Then I began to "not care"... what other people thought. I did things the way I wanted to rather than what would meet others approval.

Am I an "artist" ... don't know. Guess not really. I still have the day job. I am happy with what I make in glass. I don't think my work appeals to everyone. Don't really care. I am comfortable with what I create, it makes me feel good, it makes me express myself and think. So I'm happy. Interestingly I find that when I am "creative " in glass I am "creative" in my day job.

One approach from a scientist dabbling in the arts.

Cheers,

Bob

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 1:18 pm

Thanks Bob.

I never said I wasn't creative. As a mechanical design engineer with patents pending, I have no doubt about my ability to "create" things that are new. But the problem that I face often is whether or not my "creations" are "artistic"... a word I get hung up on.

I believe you may be right, that relaxation is a key here. Alcohol also plays a role.

There are times that I get so uptight about being sufficiently "artistic" that I develop something similar to writers block and become paralyzed. The glass sits there for weeks waiting to be finished. This is where the alcohol comes in... A couple of mai tais, a few shots of Sambuca, and I don't care, so I go ahead and finish the piece. Since I don't drink much or very often, I have a lot of glass sitting around waiting to be finished. And I don't have enough kiln shelf space to do a lot of "binge fusing".

Tony

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 1:46 pm

Tony you're right, I confused the "artistic" with "creative".

Try one or all of these:

1) Can you say what motivated you to do the work? what it represents to you? I believe if you can then that is your "artist's statement". Then... by logical definition, you are artisitic. Some are more articulate than others

2) Relax

3) drink more alcohol

4) all of the above

Personally I'd go for 1)... followed by 2)... take three rounds of 3)... then go back to 1). Repeat as needed.

Cheers... literally,

Bob

Zane · Post by **Zane** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 2:02 pm

I never said I wasn't creative. As a mechanical design engineer with patents pending, I have no doubt about my ability to "create" things that are new. But the problem that I face often is whether or not my "creations" are "artistic"... a word I get hung up on.

I believe you may be right, that relaxation is a key here. Alcohol also plays a role. There are times that I get so uptight about being sufficiently "artistic" that I develop something similar to writers block and become paralyzed. The glass sits there for weeks waiting to be finished. This is where the alcohol comes in... A couple of mai tais, a few shots of Sambuca, and I don't care, so I go ahead and finish the piece. Since I don't drink much or very often, I have a lot of glass sitting around waiting to be finished. And I don't have enough kiln shelf space to do a lot of "binge fusing".

I so identify with what you are saying.....my very first try working with clay, many years ago, was after a few glasses of wine at a party. The raw materials had been sitting around waiting several months for me to gather up enough courage to do something.
Still today, I still have glass waiting for the right moment to fuse.

I get so upset at the attitude displayed by some people who call themselves "artists"; especially if they are very critical of anyone not having certification and degrees up to wazoo. Usually these are the same people whose work is just ...... well, let us just say my reaction (and also the poeple I am with) to this person's "art" was Why would you want to do that??

Relaxing is good........
Zane

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 2:35 pm

let us just say my reaction (and also the poeple I am with) to this person's "art" was Why would you want to do that??

Relaxing is good........
Zane[/quote]

An interesting point Zane. I love off the wall installation art. Some of my favourite have been :

1) the truckload of pennies that were dumped at the front door of a bank

2) the dress made of slabs of meat

3) the farmers field that was plowed in a geometric design. It could only been seen and appreciated form the air. However because it was "art" it had to be protected. So a security guard (complete with desk, chair and wastepaper basket) was hired to sit at the intersecion of two roads boardering the field. He was guarding the art.

4) the radioshack speakers installed at ear level along a long corridor. Each one plays quiet conversations. The "artist" had taped all phone calls for a year (ordering pizza, talking to parents, etc etc and more etc). These are now played back to the listener. I truly loved this one... what a voyeuristic society we are.

5) the 1960's muscle car entirely painted matte black (over a grey primer). The artist had scratched the entire Book of Revelations on the black finish with a nasty big spike. I saw a young child, who wanted to touch this incredibly tactile car, prevented from doing so by a security guard who said "Don't touch that son ... that's art!" I don't think that is what the artist had in mind.

Some of these pieces make a statement. However the works generally prompt coments like... that is art? Seeing work like this really makes me think about what I look for in art. I have had some great discussions about these pieces with friends. They have really made me think about what I like and value. And in doing so I feel they are worthwhile. WOuld I buy them is another question.

BTW 2), 4) and 5) are in the National Gallery of Canada. So they must be art.

I have some great ideas for installation art ... anybody want to fund me.

Cheers,

Bob

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 3:08 pm

Bob Leatherbarrow wrote:Some of these pieces make a statement. However the works generally prompt coments like... that is art? Seeing work like this really makes me think about what I look for in art. I have had some great discussions about these pieces with friends. They have really made me think about what I like and value. And in doing so I feel they are worthwhile. WOuld I buy them is another question.

I've seen similar items to those you describe and I also ask myself if this is really art. So this gets down to a much more fundamental question of what art really is. I've heard some people say that art is anything that elicits an emotional response... but then funerals rule out that definition.

It's a question that's been asked for millenia... I'm certainly not going to take a shot at it today.

Tony

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 4:03 pm

Yes a weighty discussion it is. I would suggest listening to "A Truckload of Art" (I believe that is the title of the song) by the Austin Lounge Lizards, and downing a few brews before we start that discussion.

Cheers,

Bob

Don Burt · Post by **Don Burt** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 5:14 pm

Tony Smith wrote: Clip
I've also been practicing using flowers in some of my bowls. They don't look too bad (in fact I'm proud of them), and my wife appreciates them...Tony

When I saw the bowl you posted above, it went into my 'Radially Symmetrical Design' part of the brain, I suppose. So I apply all my preferences for RSD to it: I want it to have a conflict, or be serene and ethereal, or classically strong and evocative of a million years of design (like a Tudor rose, or an arabesque or something), or something recognizable, because natural representation is always interesting to me. So I look for something in the bowl thats interesting that way. Or a strong rhythm. I'm a sucker for rhythm and pattern in design. But I don't care for the design on that bowl. The center cross is interesting. It has a nervous energy. But the blue fields between the quadrants kind of kill it. I looked at it at the office today. Showed it to a few co-workers. They liked it, generally. But they're not real pretend artists like me. How could they know anything?

About the bowl though: it has an image on it thats is interesting enough to make comment about it. I probably would not find it interesting enough to buy the piece. A lot of stuff I look at I have no opinion at all about. Thats not a hugely important measure in my mind, but I thought I'd mention it.

Tony Smith · Post by **Tony Smith** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 5:21 pm

You're probably right Don, I should have gone with the bowl divided into five equal 72Â° segments to eliminate the cross.... Now where's my protractor???

Barbara Muth · Post by **Barbara Muth** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:02 pm

Bob wrote:
2) the dress made of slabs of meat

BTW 2), 4) and 5) are in the National Gallery of Canada. So they must be art.

I have some great ideas for installation art ... anybody want to fund me.

Cheers,

Bob

Bob, isn't 2) kind of stinky?

smart-assed girl

Barbara Muth · Post by **Barbara Muth** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:44 pm

Bob Leatherbarrow wrote:Suffering from the logical traps associated with being schooled in the rigors of the scientific technique? The critical thinking that is a cornerstone of scientific research denying you room for creativity? I am tarred with the same brush (long time in grad school and industry) and festered with self doubt about "art and creativity" for a long time.

Interestingly I think the scientific mind and the creative process go hand in hand. People that cause shifts in scientific thinking, paradigms, are generally thought to be great scientists. You know... the Einsteins. But more importantly they are extremely independant and creative thinkers.

I do find it fascinating that there are so many of us trained in the sciences on this board. While I haven't been trained in the physical sciences and some would say psychology is pretty soft -- the last fifteen years of my professional life have been consumed by the rigor of scientific studies and statistics. Without numbers I would be lost. Somehow I think the scientific training set us up. Part of what I enjoy about glass as a medium (aside from the power tools) is the experimentation. I feel like I am back in a laboratory.

Not only do science and the creative process go hand in hand, but I believe that without the arts, science today would not be where it is. Where would medical science be today without Da Vinci's groundbreaking work in anatomy. Why did he do it? Was the curiosity stemming from that part of him that was artist or the part that was scientist? Granted, we can't all be DaVincis but do believe that artist's sensibilities -- trained or not, latent or visible -- are at the root of what we are doing.

Tony Smith wrote:You're probably right Don, I should have gone with the bowl divided into five equal 72Â° segments to eliminate the cross.... Now where's my protractor???

Heehee.

Or just gone freehand...

One of the most difficult things for me to do is to move away from symmetry and geometric precision. Geometry was always my favorite math (I still do proofs in my head to amuse myself

and it's been 30 years since I took geometry!). I think about the things you were referring to Don,

db wrote: I want it to have a conflict, or be serene and ethereal, or classically strong and evocative of a million years of design (like a Tudor rose, or an arabesque or something), or something recognizable, because natural representation is always interesting to me. So I look for something in the bowl thats interesting that way. Or a strong rhythm. I'm a sucker for rhythm and pattern in design.

and sometimes I achieve them. I think part of why I became enamoured of playing with texture was that it has freed me from the need to create straight lines, perfect edges (though they do turn me on!), and symmetry. And textural work has facilitated my attempts to be "painterly" without completing accomplished drawings/paintings. I like non-representational work.

Shoot! I wish we were all sitting somewhere with a beer! And Tony, I like the hydrangeas.

This piece is "Heartbreak Contained" (though Bruce calls it "Exploding Heart")

Barbara

Jerry Barnett · Post by **Jerry Barnett** » Tue Apr 22, 2003 9:58 pm

Barbara Muth wrote:
Bob wrote:
2) the dress made of slabs of meat

BTW 2), 4) and 5) are in the National Gallery of Canada. So they must be art.

I have some great ideas for installation art ... anybody want to fund me.

Cheers,

Bob
Bob, isn't 2) kind of stinky?

smart-assed girl

Barbara, I think I heard it wasn't still there.

(Tragically, someone sent it to the dry cleaners to have a grease spot removed.)