“The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly, a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear and pleasure.” -Francis Bacon
I’m stuck in an artistic slump right now. I lied, I’m just procrastinating. My final painting is due on Tuesday night and all I have is a blank gesso’d canvas. Garrrr.
Beginning a painting is always the hardest part of the process for me, but once I get going and figure out what direction I want to take, it becomes like Mr. Bacon described… I just can’t get enough of it— it’s a terrifying and exciting process all at the same time.
Things start off slowly and tentatively, and then they reach a point where you begin making irrational decisions. This is the breakthrough point when everything exciting happens. Then you spend the rest of the time putting the puzzle together and solving all the problems you created. And once everything is unified, and working as a system, you are incredibly satisfied and can’t help but think how lucky you got.
Then, with your next piece, the process repeats itself, and, once more, you start off being terrified that you’ll never get lucky again.
