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Creativity lecture rev1
- 1. Creativity Enjoy the Unexpected Wit h Carrie I mai
- 2. Have you eversat at your desk - faced with a blank piece of paper- and a deadline … and fearand doubt creep in?
- 12. Anyway, all thisactivity that wetakefor granted isreally designing or creating. So we DO havethecreative capability. So what’snext?
- 14. Isit aflash that strikes usin the middleof thenight whilewe areon our way to becoming artists?
- 19. Borrowing an ideafrom one person iscalled plagiarism, but borrowing from everyone iscalled RESEARCH!
- 20. Principles of Design • Balance • Unity • Rhythm • Proportion • Emphasis
- 21. BALANCE
- 27. Harmony orUnity
- 37. PROPORTION
- 41. EMPHASIS!
Editor's Notes
- You are not alone. This is a real fear and a pressure we place upon ourselves – fear of judgment by our peers, fear of failure, fear of vulnerability – just to name a few.
- In getting from A to Z, or from concept to execution of calligraphic work, first, we need to trust that we have the innate gift of creativity that exists in all of us. This is one of the pieces in a series that I started by taking out a lot of paper and writing A & Z large on each page without thought to what I’d do with them. Then designed each one differently.
- This is a piece I did for the faculty exhibit at Letters California Style. I was teaching “Playful Letters: Dance of the Pen” and wanted the alphabet to dance. So, what is this mysterious thing called creativity?
- Studies have shown that creative individuals are spontaneous, expressive, and less controlled or inhibited. They also tend to trust their own judgment and ideas-- they are not afraid of trying something new. If that’s not you yet, maybe it’s because you haven’t learned to trust yourself. The dictionary tells us that creativity is” to bring into being through thought or imagination” Sounds like scary territory you say - but we do it every day – all day long. We are constantly faced with problems which need solutions
- Organizing your desk
- Communicating with your computer
- Daily meal planning
- Putting together a fashion statement
- Getting your kids to do what you want … well, maybe not. I haven’t figured that one out yet… and mine’s 36!
- It’s been my experience that in the process of creating art, before perspiration must come inspiration. What is inspiration? The dictionary tells us it is a motive, stimulation – a muse. A muse? This gives it sort of a mystical quality – but it’s really not mystical. So where does it come from?
- Is it a gift that drops from above when you look at a pastoral scene?
- or look at a flower? David Howells work.
- Or look up at a cloud formation in the sky? Maybe it is – but it really comes from the ability to see design in everything. Put a lot of good quality input into your computer. Start looking for design EVERYWHERE! – in magazines, newspapers, advertisements, flyers and posters. I’m a terror on the road because I see design in billboards and signs.
- Some wise person once said, “borrowing an idea from one person is called plagiarism, but borrowing from everyone is called RESEARCH! So start collecting a “swipe file”. It is almost impossible to create in a vacuum, so your swipe file will be a source of inspiration for your own ideas. Then, besides seeing lots of things, you need to DO lots of things. When you’re in a workshop, it is important to do all of the exercises, even if you are not sure of the importance of those exercises at the time. Your mind is storing away information for use at a later time when you are ready for it.
- Principles of design or principles of art - Refers to the different ways that the elements of art may be used to create a work of art. Artists “design” their works by controlling and putting into order the elements of art. Calligraphers use words in their art just as a painter uses a still life or a watercolorist uses a landscape to create their art. The principles are: Balance – Unity – Rhythm – Proportion - Emphasis
- Balance refers to the way the elements of art are arranged to create a feeling of stability in a work
- Balance can be symmetrical, or formal. Symmetrical or formal balance is equal "weight" on both of a centrally placed axis, or centered.
- When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central fulcrum, the result is bilateral symmetry. This axis may be horizontal or vertical.
- or it can be asymmetrical, or informal. Asymmetrical balance or informal balance, is more complex. It involves placement of objects in a way that will allow objects of varying visual weight to balance one another on an axis. This can be best imagined by envisioning a literal balance scale that represents the visual "weights" of the elements in a composition. For example, it is possible to balance a heavy weight with a cluster of lighter weights on equal sides of a fulcrum; in a picture, this might be a cluster of small objects balanced by a large object. You can balance objects of unequal weight by using different mass (such as a large mass of feathers balances a small mass of stones). Or you can shift the fulcrum to balance unequal weights.
- It is a balance between harmony (things being the same) and variety (things being different). When there is too much harmony, it can be monotonous, but too much variety is disturbing.
- This piece was inspired by a speech Alan Alda gave at his daughter’s graduation. The marks on the right were made by painting gouache onto eraser chunks and using them like a rubber stamp.
- Sequence or rhythm is a designed path for the viewer’s eye to follow – an optical rhythm.
- The eye usually travels from left to right and from top to bottom. So this piece gives the viewer an easy path to follow.
- The presence of rhythm creates predictability and order in a composition. This piece was done in Marsha Brady’s class at Cerritos College and won “Best in Show” at the college art exhibit for all media – oil painting, watercolor, pottery, jewelry, etc. It’s the first time a piece of calligraphy had ever won.
- But you can design a path from a small element to a larger one or a dark image to a lighter one or vice-versa. This piece was inspired by a life situation. I was in a year-long master art class and was lost. But I was beginning to see a doorway somewhere in the wilderness… if only I could find the key.
- Proportion - refers to the harmonious relationship of one part of a design to another or to the whole with respect to size, quantity or degree of intensity. So the large roman letters on the left, which leave a lot of light within and around them, balance the mass of small text on the right.
- Here’s another example, where a large proportion of light weight elements can balance with a small proportion of heavy weight elements.
- This piece inspired an experiment in new letterform creation that we will be doing in class.
- Emphasis - is change to an element of the design that gives importance or dominance (weight)) to that element; something singled out, stressed, or drawn attention to by means of contrast for impact.
- It is a break in the rhythm. The artist or designer uses emphasis to hold the viewers interest by providing visual "surprises." This is a piece I did in a year-long class with Reggie Ezell. Without the break in rhythm from Roman caps to the loose Italic at the bottom, the piece would be stagnant and boring. The “Rose” gives it surprise.
- Have you noticed that on a Nordstrom or Neiman-Marcus ad, they leave LOTS of white space. It speaks elegance, richness and serenity. The few elements stand out because of the open space around them. The more elements you have in a piece, the more active, dynamic and exciting. Have you noticed that on a Nordstrom or Neiman-Marcus ad, they leave LOTS of white space. It speaks elegance, richness and serenity. The more elements you have in a piece, the more active, dynamic and exciting.
- But beware – ALL emphasis is NO emphasis.
- So now we have the creativity, the inspiration and the understanding of good design. The process in which we put all these elements to use depends upon a lot of things. We all have varied experience and background. Therefore, we draw from within ourselves that personal creativity that is different in all of us. That is why design is so exciting. It is a little piece of ourselves. Donald Jackson said, “Every mark we make is like a fingerprint in time”.
- For many years, I needed a map to follow, a planned route to my result. I needed to have an idea and work at it until it came out on the paper. I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of play. But that’s where the good stuff is. Galileo said, “You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.” I know you all have untapped creativity within you. You just need to find those people and teachers who can help you to free that untapped creative spring within you.
- Learn to enjoy the unexpected. I’m not suggesting that you throw out your metal pens in favor of sticks and cardboard, but to know that they all have a purpose. And I’m not recommending giving up disciplined classes for full-time play – but if you could take the freedom and joy found in play and fuse it with discipline and hard work … that disciplined freedom is what creates beauty.
- I’m going to end my lecture with a wonderful quote from Affirmations for Artists by Eric Maisel. “ When an artist gathers herself up, brings her training and her entire being to the moment and, at the same time, holds a vast “don’t know” – ART GETS MADE. But if instead, she discovers that she can’t color outside the lines or begin a story until the plot is perfected, she is doomed to stall. An artist must risk making a mess and looking the fool. She must risk improvising. The wise artist knows that she must work “on the spot”, right where she finds herself, trusting her abilities and dropping her guard.” Now let’s go play!