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10 ways to jog your creative mojo

Having been sort of out of artistic commission for the last few weeks, this has been on my mind. Here are a few things to try if you are also feeling a little mojo-less:

  1. Quantity over quality. (Almost) Everybody knows about Morning Pages: the concept of just writing 3 pages without regard to quality or content. I think this concept can be applied to many different things and sometimes just making yourself do “something” within a set frame (be it a time frame or number of pages/drawings/whatever frame) can give you the kick you need to just do something and not worry about results.
  2. Limited Resources. Sometimes too many options can paralyze us. Limit yourself to one or two tools – such as a pen and one color crayon. Trying to figure out how to work without your plethora of resources can sometimes spark ideas.
  3. Work it out. As in, exercise. Not only do you get your mind off your project (or lack thereof), but you get the endorphins from exercise so you feel better when you’re done. I’m personally a fan of weight lifting or something that keeps your mind somewhat occupied (such as dance). Walking doesn’t do it for me because there is too much time for thinking.
  4. Create something that you will destroy at the end. I did this recently. It’s nice because you don’t try very hard (at least I don’t) and you don’t worry very much; you just get back into the motions of making things. A lot of times a block is a result of not knowing where to start or worrying about making something cool; if you aim to make something that you will throw away a lot of that pressure is off.
  5. And now for something completely different. Try an entirely new task – assuming your current craft is art journaling, you could try cooking, knitting, making model airplanes out of Popsicle sticks. You’re still getting into the swing of making things but with the added bonus (or hassle?) or trying something you don’t know how to do. Having to think in a different way is a pretty good way to jog creative ideas.
  6. Immerse yourself. Museums, antique stores, galleries – go to places where you can surround yourself with beautiful things to find inspiration.
  7. Pastiche. As per the wiki, which always defines things more elegantly than I can, “a work is called pastiche if it is cobbled together in imitation of several original works.” Imitate the styles of several different artists in one piece and see what happens.
  8. Reverse Engineer. Similarly, pick one piece, figure out how it was made and re-create it yourself. You’ll probably learn a new technique or way of doing things that you can later incorporate into your own style.
  9. Musical Inspiration. Of course the obvious is to put on music that makes you feel creative, but you can also try to illustrate songs – either the story in the song, or literally illustrating the instruments and notes for something that looks a little more abstract.
  10. Numbered lists. If you have to come up with, say, 10 things, you will have to sit there until you come up with something which will force you to put down anything just for the sake of FILLING OUT THIS LIST… I mean, “the” list. Generally speaking. Of course.

What are your favorite ways to get back into the groove?

Monday, May 9th, 2011 | 2 Comments »

the benefit of routine (even for you artsy types)

“I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am inspired at nine o’clock every morning.” (source unclear but often attributed to William Faulkner)

You may have noticed a slow down and/or complete stop in posts lately. April was filled with emergency rehearsals – I had to teach a group choreography in about a month for our troupe’s debut performance. Did I mention I’ve never choreographed for a group or taught anybody before? It was a little stressful for all of us but the piece came out well (at least I assume so based on audience reception; video isn’t out yet). And I’m really grateful that my troupe mates are such patient ladies!

The show was on May 1 but it took me a little while to regain equilibrium, particularly because I felt like I deserved some lazing around time after all that work. Finally, last week I got around to doing an online dance class. As I was finishing up the class, I found myself wanting to journal a little – just because that was the next thing I was “supposed” to do. And then I re-realized, again, the importance of a routine.

A lot of people, particularly those that fancy themselves as somewhat creative, freak at the mention of routine because blah blah free spirit blah blah — but I think a good routine increases productivity and can even enhance creativity.

First of all, routine removes a lot of resistance. At some point I got in the habit of dance followed by journaling. So as I was finishing up my class the other day, I was simply “ready” to get to my pages because it was my habit (even after a month’s interruption). When it becomes a habit like that, you don’t need to fight with or spend 2 hours coaxing yourself. You just go because it’s what you’re doing. Not to say that you are always excited about it, but you do it. Think of your morning routine – all that stuff you do without even thinking. I make my bed, get dressed and eat breakfast without even having to wake up.

Since you are not spending those 2 hours fighting yourself, that’s 2 extra hours to create. Or do laundry. Either way, you’re able to just get more done. And that in itself is a reward – I know that the more I do, the more I wanna do (except maybe the laundry). I enjoy that sense of accomplishment and want more of it. I also notice that ideas lead to more ideas – if you are being creative, it’ll only make you more creative (well, unless you believe we all have finite creativity, which I don’t). Once you get over that initial hump of “I don’t wanna,” a lot of stuff starts flowing. If you make getting over the hump (somewhat) automatic, everything else follows more easily.

Once you get into the habit of being creative at a certain point (which may sound strange but I think our brains are naturally inclined towards habit, even the creative parts) it makes that time much more rewarding and productive because you can dive right in rather than play mind games with yourself. Obviously this isn’t foolproof and we all have bad days, but having a bad day (or several) isn’t such a BIG DEAL when you are present and creative every day (or however often you choose, as long as it’s regular). If you are only creative sometimes, a bad experience can really throw you off. But if you are there every day, it’s just another day that isn’t as good as the others. And you keep going and you don’t worry (too much). In this way, a routine can actually open you up and keep you more creative because it pushes you to just do. Good or bad, at least you’re there.

Routines can be structured differently – I think the most common is time-based: do this at 2pm, do this at 3pm, etc. That works for a lot of people. It doesn’t work for me because I just hate having clocks boss me around. Mine are activity-based: exercise followed by shower followed by journaling, etc. The difficulty in this type is that, since there is no “start time,” you just have to decide to do it at some point. I manage to motivate myself but I understand that some people may benefit more from time cues or having somebody call and yell at them. ;)

I think the reason many people shy away from routine is because they confuse it with a rut. A rut is a routine that no longer serves you – it becomes mechanical and you just do it because … you do it. It doesn’t help you anymore but you just keep going. If you find yourself totally bored and perhaps resentful, take a look at what you do and ask yourself why you do it or why it’s useful. If it’s not useful, get rid of it. Routines change as we and our needs change. They should provide a structure for you to keep yourself on track but they should never be oppressive. Make sure to re-evaluate your routines every once in a while – it’s way easier to change routines than it is to abandon one that isn’t working and then try to get back into good habits after 2 weeks of watching of cartoons all day. Not that I’ve done that.

Do you have any routines that help you get into a creative or productive mindset? Or are you a free spirit type that truly doesn’t need any structure at all (they’re out there but I really don’t think they’re common!)?

Monday, May 24th, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Pick a Fight

…Creativity is an act of defiance. You’re challenging the status quo. You’re questioning accepted truths and principles. You’re asking three universal questions that mock conventional wisdom:
“Why do I have to obey the rules?”
“Why can’t I be different?”
“Why can’t I do it my way?”
These are the impulses that guide all creative people whether they admit it or not. Every act of creation is also an act of destruction or abandonment. Something has to be cast aside to make way for the new.
[...]
For one day, be completely contrary, to the point of orneriness and belligerence, with anything and everything you do. Turn everything upside down.
[...]
This fighting mode is not for everyone, but there’s something to be said for getting into a warrior’s frame of mind, especially when you’re troubled by some aspect of your creative life. If something isn’t right in the piece you’re working on, you can’t always fix it by sheer application of skill. Tinkering and tweaking will only take you so far. Sometimes, to force change, you have to attack the work with outrage and violence. You see this a lot of times with students who, in their work, pick fights with their teachers; instinctively, they sense they’ll be judged on whom they do battle with. They know that in order to break away and find their own voice, they must defy, even mock, their artistic mentors.

The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp

I cut out a lot to keep it short – basically, pick fights with your routines – do them backwards, ask what good they produce, etc. I really like this exercise because many people, particularly in the art journaling community for some reason, seem to imagine creativity as some sort of delicate muse who must be coaxed out with strawberry tea and tiaras. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but I think there is something to be said for being deliberately contrary and obnoxious (as an artist).

If you are creating you are basically implying that there is something missing in the world and you’ve taken it upon yourself to put it there (as Tarkovsky said in the video I posted a while back, art would be useless if the world were perfect). In that sense, you are defying the status quo simply by creating – so why not nurture that energy just a little?

Creativity is not one way or another, and even within myself I have muses and warriors. Interestingly, I find myself favoring the warrior aspect and I’m pretty sure it’s a reaction to the overly lovey-dovey art journaling thing. So in my case, I do create out of defiance (I don’t think it’s very obvious, though). Don’t get me wrong – I love how kind and supportive AJers are, but you can be difficult in your art and still be a nice person. At least I think I’m pretty nice, commenters can let me know if I’m fooling myself. :)

So I guess what I’m saying is, be a jerk for like 5 minutes. You don’t necessarily have to get mad at the page (although it can help, and so can a sense of entitlement if you can manage it) just ask why you do the things you normally do and why you should do them now? Do something different just to spite routine, do the opposite of what your teacher has always taught you or what others are doing. I think a lot of art-niceness actually has to do with fear – that others won’t accept something new or that you’ll lose your muse if you don’t always do things the way they’ve always worked. At the very least doing something to shake things up will remove some of that -as Tharp says, “You may not always win, but the exercise is liberating.”

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Sketches & getting out of your head

doodly-doo

I finally have some kind of idea for this altered book thing (I have 2 weeks, more than enough time). I can’t tell you about it because I don’t want to jinx it. :) But it does incorporate several old ideas that never panned out – just goes to show that even useless stuff may be useful later.

I have been trying to think of something for a while, but it was only after sitting down and just doodling that it came to me. I wasn’t even drawing anything in particular – just squiggles and circles, just keeping that hand moving. I know that this is a really commonly suggested exercise, but that doesn’t mean I listen. I have a bad habit of getting stuck in my head – just sitting there and trying to magically come up with ideas. I’m sure some people can do this, but I am always more successful if I incorporate actual activity – doodling, cutting up papers, collaging nothing in particular – etc. You’d think I’d eventually learn this and go straight there rather than hanging out in mental limbo, but you’d be wrong. :P

(Hopefully this entry didn’t jinx it either, ha)

Monday, September 7th, 2009 | No Comments »

Creating out of…??

I feel a need to add a little to my post on creating out of enthusiasm/joy/love because it was a little too lovey-dovey and the minute I posted it I remembered about how many of my favorite books/movies etc are totally weird and depressing, and what’s up with that?

Creating out of love doesn’t necessarily mean that what you’re creating will be all roses and fairies and unicorns. These certainly aren’t bad things, but they also certainly aren’t the only things. It’s just that you just want to show somebody else the way you see something, offer them your idea – out of love for whatever you’re expressing (or how, or to whom). It’s also important that “love” means different things to different people and it’s up to you to identify that for yourself.

I feel like I’m back-tracking with all these qualifiers and clarifications, but it’s a difficult idea for me to write down clearly. Create because it fills you up (on some level). Offer it to others – and I specifically like the word “offer” because it does away with my weird guilt issues. You’re not jumping around for attention or demanding people love you; you just offer yourself to them because you believe in what you’re doing. And what you’re doing may not be Lisa Frank*-style and that’s OK.

My favorite author, Victor Pelevin, tends to be cynical and a little depressing in his stories; he’s not for everybody. But when I read his stories I’m left with a very strange, bittersweet feeling – a little sad, but at the same time completely inspired. Not depressed at all. I’ve never met the guy so I can’t say if he creates out of love, but I bring him up as an example of how it doesn’t have to be happy sparkle fun bubbles every time — if you’re trying to “create out of love” whatever the hell that means, and find yourself wanting to make something less-than-peppy, don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about run-on sentences either.

- Is there anything you love, Hermit?
- Yes.
- What is it?
- I don’t know. Something that comes to me sometimes. Sometimes it’s some kind of thought, sometimes the nuts, sometimes a dream. The important thing is that I always recognize it, whatever form it takes, and I greet it best I can.
- How?
- By becoming calm.
- Does that mean you’re worried all the rest of the time?
- No, I’m always calm. It’s just that calm is the very best thing I have in me, and when this thing I love comes to me, I offer it my calmness.
- And what do you think is best about me?
- About you? It’s probably sitting quietly in the corner without bothering anybody.
- Really?
- I don’t know. If you really want to, you can work out what the best thing in you is by thinking what it is you offer when you feel love. What did you feel, when you were thinking about the person who waved to you?
- Sadness.
- Well, that means the best thing in you is your sadness, and that’s how you’ll always greet anything you love.

- “Hermit & Six-Toes” by Victor Pelevin

I love this passage so much I based a page on it, heh:
Hermit & Six-Toes

Conclusion: Read The Life of Insects and/or The Blue Lantern (which includes “Hermit & Six-Toes”) by Victor Pelevin and then email me so we can talk about how great they are. :D

Conclusion 2: The next post needs to be pictures because there is too much writing going on here.

*= When I was little I wrote Lisa Frank a letter telling her she should make a rainbow colored snake. I got a form letter back telling me that they always took kids’ suggestions into account; it was awesome.

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »

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