Ghastly times when work hides behind a curtain while fire-fighting and just struggling with being alive happen to everyone at some point, and that’s okay. It takes time to heal and it will eventually fade into the background. But what about those other times when everything is apparently fine and hunky-dory and you should be charging ahead with brilliant work but the bogeyman comes to visit, settling into your brain in a bleak, growly fog just when art should be blossoming, and effort after effort ends up in an angry ball of scrunched-up matter in the bin, aka creative block.
Images, clockwise from top left
Latifa Echakhch Globus (b) 2007
Martin Creed Work No.88 1995
Ívar Valgardsson Watercolour 2011
John Chamberlain Penthouse #50 1969
Images, clockwise from top left
Latifa Echakhch Globus (b) 2007
Martin Creed Work No.88 1995
Ívar Valgardsson Watercolour 2011
John Chamberlain Penthouse #50 1969
Fortunately I do a lot of ‘dotting around’, which has been a fair criticism of my work, seen as a lack of focus or commitment; but I feel the upside to that is a magpie mentality which acts as a vaccine against boredom. Constantly attracted to new, shiny, sparkly things which spark the touch-paper of imagination, my mind keeps turning things over and there’s always something to do. Distraction? I’ll think about that another time.
There are still times, however, when I feel sick to my boots with my work and get stuck like that. When it happens, it’s usually a sign that something’s wrong in the work which I don’t understand; it just looks overblown, overstated, obvious and stale, I don’t know how to move forward and I don't want to do it any more. If I try something else, the same thing happens. It means it’s time for a break and a refresh.
I can identify three main causes for getting stuck:
1. Wrong direction
2. Boredom
3. The inner head-critic
I haven't had this conversation with many artists, it's not something we tend to talk about, in fact we don’t talk about our work at all when we’re together. I do remember one rainy day as a young student at Edinburgh College of Art when the blank sheet of paper got the better of me in a life drawing class. George Donaldson was taking the class that day and spotted my problem - no drawing. He understood immediately and suggested I take the paper outside and jump on it in a muddy puddle to banish the void. I had a great time sullying the paper in the rain, and it worked wonders. The fear was gone and the muddy stains were lovely to work with.
I have definitely used the muddy puddle technique a few times since then, if anybody is stuck I would recommend it. It deals with all three of the sticking-points above in one single blow:
1. Wrong directions are literally washed away and obliterated, leaving muddy stains which provide a problem to solve when you resume work, and everyone solves problems in their own unique way.
2. Stomping in a puddle in the rain blows boredom out of the window, it's very childish and massive fun.
3. The inner head-critic can't take itself seriously after that and is too surprised to comment.
Problem solving is a way to find your own voice and move on. Another way is a huge mug of your favourite beverage, indulgent snacks, a big fluffy blanket, phone switched off and a whole afternoon on Pinterest.
There are still times, however, when I feel sick to my boots with my work and get stuck like that. When it happens, it’s usually a sign that something’s wrong in the work which I don’t understand; it just looks overblown, overstated, obvious and stale, I don’t know how to move forward and I don't want to do it any more. If I try something else, the same thing happens. It means it’s time for a break and a refresh.
I can identify three main causes for getting stuck:
1. Wrong direction
2. Boredom
3. The inner head-critic
I haven't had this conversation with many artists, it's not something we tend to talk about, in fact we don’t talk about our work at all when we’re together. I do remember one rainy day as a young student at Edinburgh College of Art when the blank sheet of paper got the better of me in a life drawing class. George Donaldson was taking the class that day and spotted my problem - no drawing. He understood immediately and suggested I take the paper outside and jump on it in a muddy puddle to banish the void. I had a great time sullying the paper in the rain, and it worked wonders. The fear was gone and the muddy stains were lovely to work with.
I have definitely used the muddy puddle technique a few times since then, if anybody is stuck I would recommend it. It deals with all three of the sticking-points above in one single blow:
1. Wrong directions are literally washed away and obliterated, leaving muddy stains which provide a problem to solve when you resume work, and everyone solves problems in their own unique way.
2. Stomping in a puddle in the rain blows boredom out of the window, it's very childish and massive fun.
3. The inner head-critic can't take itself seriously after that and is too surprised to comment.
Problem solving is a way to find your own voice and move on. Another way is a huge mug of your favourite beverage, indulgent snacks, a big fluffy blanket, phone switched off and a whole afternoon on Pinterest.
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