Structure Leads to Creativity

Home #42 (informed by Home #11)
©2010 Lisa Call
2.5" x 3.5"
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)
$40

 

A Conversation

After posting my todo list for the week last monday, Ann Brauer had this response:

I read the blogs of Lisa Call–she is so organized. Check out this blog of Lisa’s. I love how she can write out her goals for the week–so much she hopes to accomplish. I love the structures of her work, the plans, the way the pieces create the whole. But I am not sure that is for me. I make my quilts almost by intuition–I get the palette right and then it is almost a gut reaction. What comes next. It is the same with my strategies, my goals. I create a general concept in my mind, a purpose and then start moving toward my goals. I don’t know if this is the best way–should I write it all down? I don’t know. I tend to get overwhelmed with possibilities. I like the freedom to accept opportunities if I can keep that red barn in mind. [ie focus]

Ann and I thought a conversation about this topic via our blogs might be fun.

Below are my thoughts on my planning. I don’t expect my experiences to be universal but if you are on the fence on writing down goals, maybe give it a try and see how it works for you.

[I have more to say on this subject so will write more on it later - mostly around the idea that a todo list is a list of things that I have to do vs. a list of things that I want to do. The difference in mindsets is huge.]

(as a side note – I love that she let me know about her response via twitter)

Planning Time to Work on Art

One of the intentions with my planning of my time via my todo lists is to provide a chunk of time in which to create.

I believe that by setting some boundaries (ie I plan to work in my studio 2 hours today) that I eliminate much of the stress involved in getting to the studio. I don’t have to fret about if I have time or how long I might have to spend, etc. I’ve looked at my day and I’ve reserved a chunk of time to create.

In this way, with structure comes creativity without stress. I’m not thinking that I should be doing something else. Guilt free creative time.

Planning What to Work On

In addition to setting aside how much time I want to work in my studio each week/day. I find that if I plan which pieces of artwork I work on during that time, things are much more productive for me.

Everyone in computer science knows that context switching is very expensive.

For those of you that aren’t geeks – what this means is that changing what task you work on takes time. While we might be able to multi-task – there is a cost at switching between tasks. We have to set up our workspace for the new project, our brain has some mental shifting to do, etc.

[Sidenote #2: For more thoughts on multitasking, I wrote an article on makebigart: Stop Thrashing and Start Processing]

By preplanning which textile painting I’ll work on, I can do much of this context switching up front.

I also find that if I know ahead of time which piece of artwork I’m working, I can anticipate the next steps and rehearse them in my head before I reach the studio. I find that I often work out problems and come up with new ideas for the project as I’m leading up the planned studio time. It’s like free design time.

If I don’t have a specific project in mind, then my thoughts before getting to the studio tend to be a debate as to what might be the best or easiest or funnest or most challenging thing to work on. I’m not focused on design and composition of the artwork but on the merits of what project is worthy of my attention next.

When I’m not in the “mood” to work in my studio, it’s very easy for this conversation to result in a “oh, just skip the studio and eat bon-bons” sort of attitude.

When I have a specific project on the list and I’m lacking energy, I find it much much easier to just dive in anyway and miraculously the energy arrives as needed for the work.

Planning Artwork

I work in a series. Big long series like Structures (currently at 116 textile paintings in the series) and Home (now at 60 pieces). And also smaller series like Markings, where I left off with just 27 textile paintings.

Each of my series represents a set of plans. The structures series is about boundaries and fences and all of the artwork is centered around a motif that is shaped like an E. The Home series are houses, Markings are about mark making, etc.

I find that having these series gives me the same sort of freedom in which to create that my todo lists give me. I’m not open to doing EVERYTHING but have instead limited myself to a motif or idea.

From that structure I can then experiment and create and push the edges of what the series means.

For example – I challenge you to find the E in this Structures #66. I know my thought process so to me it is obvious, but I think for most viewers it might not be clear that I did have a set of parameters, on of them being the use of an E motif, for this artwork.

By placing restrictions on my artwork, I feel I’m able to explore my subject matter in great depth. I feel I’m opening

Structures #66
©2007 Lisa Call
22″ x 31″
Textile Painting (Fabric hand dyed by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread)

 

Although I do not preplan my artwork (no sketches except in a very rare instance) and instead work intuitively as Ann does. My process (from my artist statemet):

I manipulate sections of preconstructed color, verses applying pigment in small brush strokes, to create a composition. Individual elements are freehand cut and placed onto a flannel-covered studio wall, where I work improvisationally, designing, constructing and refining the lines and shapes in the textile painting.

Structure => Creativity

I suspect how I structure and plan my time does bleed into my creative process in many ways but it’s not nearly as structured as one might think. To me this is the difference between right and left brain thinking.

I left the left brain do all the planning and organizing, it makes sure I find the time to get to the studio. It makes sure I will be productive and efficient when I am there. But once I get there, the right brain gets to create and like most artists, I completely loose track of time and the 1 or 2 hours I had for studio time is over long before I think it should be.

I find that when I let the right brain to the planning and scheduling, things don’t really get done. When I’ve done most of the tests for right vs. left brain thinking, I usually come very strongly in the right brain category. Although clearly the left brain is quite active and healthy with all my todo lists and my day job as a software engineer/project manager.

Tagged as: left brain, planning, right brain, structure