Wednesday, January 27, 2010

How Ideas Come

Subjects  for my paintings and poetry are generally based on my beliefs, thoughts, life experiences and observations.  However, specific ideas are often generated through inspirations such as cinema, literature or music. These ideas might come slowly as a process, spontaneously at any given time or in a dream, just before waking.

Ideas that come slowly as a process first manifest as a strong feeling I might have about a movie I've just seen or an unusually inspiring piece of music.  Like most of us, I  am most likely to have feelings about whatever I relate to - that expresses something I've experienced in my own life.  I felt justly moved the other night after hearing Jennifer Hudson singing, "Let It Be."  The words to that song always resonate with me, but her rendition was particularly impressive.

The strong feeling then flows into desire - the desire to retain the feeling by manifesting it into art.  This is a gradual process that might begin with sketches,  more sketches, and then a final drawing, which is used as a reference for the painting. 

Spontaneous ideas invariably come when I'm in a very relaxed mood with making art the last thing on my mind.  I might be doing a mundane task, such as vacuuming the floor or doing laundry, when - pow! - a poem insinuates itself into my brain.  Or an idea for a painting demands an immediate sketch.

Ideas that come in dreams are what I call gifts because they arrive full-fledged, rich with color and complete in design.  They are paintings delivered by angels during sleep.  Their only demand is that a pencil and pad is nearby.  Otherwise, they will be lost forever.

Oops, I forgot another way an idea might come - through sitting down and sweating it out of your brain......it's called..... force.  This one requires lots of time - say days or weeks.