creativity – Page 3 – The View from a Drawbridge

The Word Art of Michael Volpicelli

I always get very excited when I come across a prolific artist that I didn’t even know existed up to that point. Suddenly, I’m introduced to a veritable smorgasbord of creativity, whether it be music or textiles or art or books. My world instantly becomes richer and more varied.

Such was the case the other day when I was Googling images of Malala Yousafzai, my personal hero. I came upon this incredible drawing, and upon closer inspection, discovered that the drawing consisted of words.

As a writer, the idea of creating images with words appeals to me greatly. I had to know more. I soon discovered that the artist’s name is Michael Volpicelli. This talented young man is a war veteran who obviously puts a great deal of thought into the peaceful images he creates.

Rather than blather on about this artist, I think I’ll allow his words to speak for themselves.

aung-san-suu-kyi-michael-volpicelli- — Aung San Suu Kyi by Michael Volpicelli

good-dog-michael-volpicelli- — Good Dog by Michael Volpicelli

thich-nhat-hanh-michael-volpicelli- — Thich Nhat Hanh by Michael Volpicelli

Writing Ideas, Like Love, Multiplies

I’ve mentioned more than once in here that I’m amazed that I keep coming up with new writing ideas for this blog every day. But one of my followers made me realize that I’ve been looking at inspiration incorrectly. Ideas are not like water in a bucket, the level of which lowers every time you take a sip until one day you discover that the bucket is dry and empty.

No, when it comes to inspiration, you need to apply more mystical mathematics. Inspiration is like love. It multiplies. The more you love, the more you are able to love, and as you add more people into your circle of love, it does not reduce the amount of love that you have for any one particular individual. The heart has an infinite capacity for this emotion. That seems miraculous to me.

So, too, the soul seems to have an infinite capacity for inspiration. The more I write, the more ideas seem to come to me. The more I open myself up, the more brainchildren seem to be born.

I have no idea what the source is of all this creativity, but maybe I’m not supposed to know. I will just do my best to remain grateful and try to never take it for granted. Whatever the formula actually is, it’s at a mathematical level that I never quite reached in college.

The Zen of the Pottery Wheel

I took a pottery class this semester at the local community college, and I loved it. It went by way too fast. I did pick up some pottery skills, but I’m using the word “skill” in its very broadest sense here. At best, I can be considered part of the primitive school. But the most important thing is that I had a wonderful time.

I also learned a great deal about things way beyond pottery. I wasn’t expecting that. I am now convinced that pottery should be classified not only as art, but also as therapy, philosophy, physical education, and management. All these things come into play in the studio.

Here are a few things I learned that I can apply to life in general:

If everyone wedged clay every day, there would be peace on earth. In order to get the air bubbles out of clay so you work won’t explode in the kiln, you have to pound it, throw it, basically beat it within an inch of its life. There’s no greater stress reducer. You can’t possibly feel frustrated once you’ve wedged some clay.
Everything comes out better when you remember to breathe. When nothing is going right with my pottery, if I do a quick body check, I usually discover that I’m tense and holding my breath. Breathing lets the energy flow through your body. Breathing is good.
Listen to your inner voice. This one I’ll probably always struggle with, but I’ve found that when my little voice goes, “time to stop messing with that pot,” it is, in fact, time to stop messing with that pot. Any more attempts at perfection will most likely lead to disaster, like accidentally caving in a wall or getting the clay so wet it turns into a glob.
Be patient with yourself. Try as you might, you’re not always going to have a good day. Some days are for ash trays, other days are for vases. And that’s okay.
Effort isn’t always obvious. One thing the movie Ghost did not make clear is that throwing pots on a pottery wheel actually takes a lot more muscle than you’d think! So next time you buy something from a potter, don’t grouse at the price. Pottery is hard work.
One man’s crap is another man’s masterpiece. It always amazed me that some of the most talented potters in the class were the most critical of their own work. I would kill to be able to produce some of the things they were throwing away. And conversely, some of the stuff I created could only be loved by me, and I’m fine with that.
It’s important to be creative. Pottery class fed my soul. It allowed me to exercise my imagination. It gave me something to be proud of. It gave me a sense of satisfaction that I can’t experience anywhere else.
Take a break. I would often get so deep in the zone that hours would pass by without my realizing it. And those were hours when my 50 year old body remained in basically the exact same position. I’d sometimes get so stiff I could barely make it to my car. Not good. It’s important to stand up and walk around every now and then.
Know when you’ve been beaten. Like I said above, you’re not going to always have a good day. Sometimes you’re going to have a really horrible day. Times like that, it’s probably better to walk away and try again tomorrow, rather than continuing to make mud pies while you gnash your teeth. That’s not quitting. That’s knowing yourself and being realistic.
It’s okay for things to turn out differently than expected. I’ve yet to have a pot turn out exactly the way I planned. At first that really disappointed me. But once I learned to let go of the steering wheel a little bit, I let in the ability to be delightfully surprised now and then, and that’s a great feeling.
It’s easier to talk to people when you can find some common ground. I actually took this class in the hopes of making friends that I could hang out with outside of class. That didn’t happen, unfortunately, although I met a lot of people I would have loved that to happen with. But I made some in class friends with whom I had some really amazing conversations. Art is a great ice breaker. It allows people to be different yet have a launch point from which to communicate. It also reminded me that I’m likable, and that kept the loneliness at bay. That has value, too.
Sometimes you don’t know best. Silly me. I would start out with an idea of how I wanted a pot to look, but clay often has a mind of its own. The harder I tried to force it to my will, the more it would resist, and that was an exercise in futility. I’m still working on this, but I’ve discovered that if you listen to the clay, it will often guide you toward something amazing.
Differences are beautiful. Every single student in that class had different ideas, different styles, different quirks. I was constantly in awe of what got produced in that studio. I could never have produced their stuff, and they could never have produced mine. Every single thing was one of a kind. Isn’t that amazing?
Keep track of things. At various times I’d have about 10 different projects going at once. Some were works in progress. Some were drying and waiting to be fired in the kiln. Some were waiting to be glazed. Some were cooling. It would be easy to lose track of everything. It’s important to take notes. It’s even more important to pay attention.
People can be really, really cool in a variety of ways. There were a lot of cool people in that class. My professor was the coolest one of all. I want to be her when I grow up. But everyone was special. Everyone had qualities that I admired. Everyone touched me in a different way. Something about the atmosphere there allowed people to be free to be themselves, and I love that.

If you ever get a chance to take a class that allows you to spread your wings in the creative realm, I highly recommend it!

Creative Juices

Recently I started attending a pottery class at my local community college. I’m sure I’ll be blogging more about this once I have some finished products to show you, but today my mind is focused on creativity in general.

Some people are more creative than others, of course, but if you have even the tiniest creative bone in your body, it’s very important that you let it out to play now and then. I know this because I’ve been seriously neglecting mine of late, and this pottery class is sort of setting that part of me free. I feel as though I can breathe again. I feel whole and healthy.

Unfortunately, with our ever-shrinking educational budgets, the arts are taking a heavy hit in our schools today. At least here in America, this is teaching us that art is a luxury, not a necessity. It’s something that you go to look at in a museum if you have nothing better to do. I would argue that this could not be further from the truth. Art is what connects us all. Art is the symbolic representation of our like minds. Even Paleolithic Man knew this. At a time when mere survival was surely paramount, these people were drawing on the walls of Chauvet Cave in modern day France. That says a lot.

There is something inside human beings, something basic, that impels us to create, to produce something unique, to put our stamp upon the world. Whether it be through writing or building or painting or cooking or any other thing that makes you who you are, that’s your creativity. That’s what sets you apart. We all need this affirmation that we count, we stand out, we matter.

Even if you just doodle on a notepad while talking on the phone, create something new today. Add to the beauty and distinction of the world. Let those creative juices flow!

This is one of my favorites of the many masterpieces in Chauvet Cave.

When you are a creative person, the art that you make feels like it’s a part of you. When you sell it or give it away, it feels like you’re sending a child off to college. You still have a connection, but you know that for all intents and purposes that child has embarked on a life of its own.

Recently I got to hear what actually became of some of my work, and it blew me away.

In the virtual world known as Second Life, I have an annual Christmas tradition where I create an ornament out of one of my fractals, and give it to people who like my art. So I created this year’s ornament, sent it out, and a few minutes later I got a message from a woman whom I had never met. She thanked me for the ornament, and then told me that she has been carrying the one I gave out in 2009 almost daily since then. She said it appeared in many of her photographs, and sure enough, she sent me a few and there it was, sharing a variety of significant moments in her life. That ornament, she said, was sort of a lucky charm for her, and it had been with her in good times and in bad.

I cannot even begin to tell you how flattered I was to hear this. The idea that something I created had been out there in the world for the past 4 years, playing such a major part in someone else’s life renders me speechless.

When you send art into the world, you have no idea how it might impact others. That’s the most amazing thing about being an artist.

A few of my fractal ornaments from years past.

Tag: creativity

Dreaming of Whales Dreaming

I have long been fascinated by that narrow borderland between consciousness and unconsciousness. It’s a surreal place indeed. The creativity there is something I could never duplicate in the waking world.

One time, back when I was a freelance closed-captioner, I was desperately sleep deprived but trying to meet a deadline. One minute I was watching the movie and typing in the text across the bottom, and the next minute I was drifting. When my head bobbed down it woke me up.

When I looked at the screen, I noticed that I had typed, “Dreaming of whales dreaming.” This had nothing to do with the medical documentary that I had been captioning, but it had everything to do with the world I pass through every time I go to sleep.

Creativity is NOT a Luxury

We wouldn’t be able to come up with elaborate excuses to avoid blame. Criminals would become entirely predictable. Politics certainly wouldn’t exist. These might be the only upsides to this situation.

As we go through life, we rely on creativity, often without realizing it. In fact, creativity is what allows us to thrive. It is our ability to transcend, progress, invent, and solve. It allows us to have dreams. It is our reason for being. We cut back on it at our peril.

E-ntroductions

I have absolutely no idea if anything will come of this rather awkward and unsolicited introduction. I plan to try it with several pairs in the coming weeks. If even one connection actually bears fruit, it will have been worth it.

You should give it a try! Imagine how the world would change if we each connected just two amazing people with each other. It’s fun being a catalyst!

Support Creativity!

What a strange world we live in. We are surrounded by creative people, people with talent that we can only dream about, and for the most part they’re the very people who have to struggle to survive. And that struggle often takes away from their ability to create.

Come on, guys. You know I don’t ask you for much. 🙂