Cultivating Creativity - Part I

Art making has been around longer than the art establishment. Mankind has been motivated to create art for 70,000 years. The first cave paintings were done by someone...unnamed. He or 9A0-058 practice testshe did it because he had to. The designation of art as self-expression or fine art is a contemporary idea. Artists do not have a lot to shore them up in today's world. At one time there was the church and patrons who kept art alive...today, the artist is essentially on his own to create and support the creating.
There is an assumption today that art is based on talent...something you either have or don't have. This assumption is fatalistic and offers no useful encouragement to those who would make art. While talent, fate, luck, and tragedy all play into human destiny, they are not tools for advancing your own art on a day-to-day basis. The danger is in identifying yourself with your art so you think that if you create flawed art you are a flawed person. It is healthier to accept a path to successful artmaking and do it because you have to. It makes you whole. It makes you happy.
Making art is difficult. Often the work in our minds seems more real than the work we have actually done. So, the questions are: How does art get done? Why, often, does it not get done? And, what is the nature of the difficulties that stop so many who start? With this series of articles, I would like to share the wisdom of many people who have studied the processes of creativity. I will be giving techniques to help the artist (writer, painter, dancer, musician, actor) maintain the skills that allow the art to be created. Let's start this discussion with some truths about creativity that place the power for your actions in your own hands.These truths are:
1. Art making involves skills that can be learned. In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive. These qualities can and need to be nurtured by others. Talent is doing something easily, but talent is ephemeral. Art is made through perseverance and hard work. Even if creativity is based on intuition, the artist must have a vocabulary and experience to apply what he feels. He must be grounded 9A0-058 practice testin craft.
2. Art is made by ordinary people.People who are totally virtuous can hardly be imagined making art. Would the Virgin Mary paint landscapes? Would the Dali Lama throw pots? The perfect person doesn't need to make art. Our flaws and our weaknesses, while often obstacles to our getting work done, are a source of strength as well.
3. Making art and viewing art are different at their core.To all viewers, what matters is the product: the finished work. To you, the artist, what matters is the process: the experience of creating the work. Virtually all artists spend much of their time creating work that no one else cares about. The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars. Even failed pieces are essential.
I believe that creativity is something that needs to be discussed and understood. I also believe that there are a number of exercises that can be used to increase the creative output of theE20-017 individual. In the coming articles of this series, I will be sharing insights and activities that you can pursue to enhance your creativity. I invite you to join me in this adventure.