Following on from my previous post about whether something has to be finished to be valuable and prompted by the comment made by Dilly about learning from trying things I was reminded of the old adage
“if at first you don’t succeed try and try again..”
I have to admit that ( too) often I have laid something aside because it was not “perfect”. But whenever I am making jewellery I have no problem at all with breaking a piece up and reworking it until I get a finished result that I like. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 remakes before I get there. I use the same materials give or take a piece of wire or some small crimps - and on the way I usually stumble across some other look that I can try out at another time. And just recently my daughter bought a hand-made necklace that has sharp edges which makes it uncomfortable to wear. She asked me if I could file these down but my efforts did not help much. She has now asked me to break that up and remake it..so I will be using somebody else’s materials in my own way.
Taking this as an example for other “creative” projects here’s a couple of questions
1 If you were to rework an existing project could you use the same ingredients in another way for a more satisfying result? ( this could also be useful in preparing for a job interview !)
2 Do you have materials from other resources that you can blend/rework? ( always having in mind copyright issues of course!)
3 What could you learn during the process of either of those?
Thanks to Dilly for the inspiration!
My 76 year old Dad took up painting a year or so ago. This was prompted when a friend gave him a gift of one of his paintings. Now Dad goes to a painting club every week. He was tentative at the start but he has grown in confidence and one of his most recent works is hanging proudly in our dining room. He has learned a lot from his clubmates, is critical of his work and tweaks it as he goes, he looks at what other people are doing by visiting local exhibitions - and he thoroughly enjoys himself.
Apart from proving that you are never too old to learn a new skill something else came to mind when I was thinking about this. What if we followed Dad’s example with our own goals
- First he sketches the outline of what he wants to paint - very lightly and simply to start with using more definite strokes as he goes.
- Then he lays down some background to build the rest of the picture on.
- After that he mixes his colours and fills in the rest of the scene ( he likes water and harbour scenes).
- From time to time he stands back and looks at it from a distance so that he can see the whole picture and work out if he wants to make any changes.
- Then he lets others see it and asks for feedback and comments - taking those on board if he thinks they are helpful.
- Then he does the final touches and it is ready for display.
Think about this process in relation to your life
- Outline the idea - it will be “sketchy” at first
- Lay down some foundations ( background)
- “Draw” on experiences, research, share ideas with others to start filling in the plan
- Stop from time to time to reflect and look at what you are doing from a distance
- Ask for feedback and comments from those you trust
- Finally you have something which you are ready to share.
There is an exhibition of Joan Eardley’s work at the National Gallery for Scotland right now. My husband got tickets to a private showing and we went along last night. He has often talked fondly of a place called Catterline in the north east of Scotland where he spent many childhood holidays and Joan Eardley lived there for a while and painted many of what are probably her best known works there.
I knew nothing about her but was happy to go along.
The work in the first room left me cold. I wondered if this would be one of those exhibitions which I could say I had been to but I would not remember any of the works.
Then…well I guess you know what’s coming. There was a room full of her paintings of Glasgow children in the 1950s. There is one partially reproduced in the poster for the exhibition which you will see if you follow the above link. Although the style is quirky those children almost leapt off the canvas. It was truly magical.
And then I spied in another room some seascapes. Quite a contrast.
This was the Catterline room. My husband was blown away by what he saw. He pointed out the cottage he stayed in - where they drew the water from the outside tap, where they had picnics. Yet these paintings are not in detail in a way a Hopper or a Constable tells the story as you see it with your own eyes. There are layers and layers of heavy paint which close up seem like splashes and dashes - but from a distance are truly beautiful.
As a comparison with real life I thought of how often dollops of this here, patches of that there come together in something powerful and inspiring. I am sure you can tell how much I have been thinking about it.
I will go back before the exhibition finishes. If you are in Scotland I urge you to give it a try. If not…well Google brings up a lot of hits!
