Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Mastering the Myndsye

I turned on PBS this morning and was pleased to see something I haven't seen in years.  Bob Ross was doing his amazing work and it got me thinking about art in general.  I don't mean specifically painting.  I mean any creative form.  If I could see what went on in Bob's head I would probably have a much better understanding of what creation really is.  For now, I will just speculate based on my observations of his craft.

There are so many things that Mr. Ross was a master of and utilized in his work.  He had a basic vision.  He was also able to improvise on that vision.  He understood his craft and the tools he used.  He also understood the subject of his creation.  There are specific ingredients required for any creation.  Knowing these ingredients also allows us to better understand ourselves and the world around us.  Let me explain how this plays into any form of creative art.

Basic Vision
Having a mental picture to start off with is the basis of any creation.  This mental vision is actually the First Creation.  In song writing, the creator has some sort of subject in mind.  There are emotions involved, a basic story about a person or event, and usually there is a target audience.  Audience isn't always required but the creator will usually not be satisfied with just creating for their own pleasure.  The creator will often want to eventually share their creation with others.  Having the basic vision in raw form means that the creation has the potential of being so much more than what the creator could have ever imagined.  This basic vision has the ability of taking on life outside of the creator.  In a sense, the creator is really just a tool for birth.  There is something much more mysterious taking place than just a person with tools and blank media.

Bob started with a blank canvas, but he knew he was going to paint a scene of an overcast beach.  He knew there would be water, sand and clouds.  Short of that, I imagine he didn't have much of a set plan in mind.  His First Creation was always very minimal, allowing an opportunity for surprise, even for him.

Improvisation
The creator takes this raw First Creation and starts "going with the flow".  Whatever happens, happens, and the creator adjusts their mental picture through the entire process of creation.  An artist that is working with wood carving may find a knot that he didn't expect and then decides to utilize that knot to add more character to his work.  A musician may accidentally play a chord they didn't mean to but then realize that it brings forth new thoughts about the song being written and decides to implement that "accident".

The episode of The Joy of Painting that I watched, Bob Ross was painting an ocean-front scene with waves pouring onto a beach.  Toward the end of the show, he decided rather flippantly to add some rocks.  It was clear he didn't initially intend for rocks to be there, but the way a particular wave was created, he felt there was a perfect opportunity to place some large boulders in the water.

When you are creating, start with a plan of sorts, but be prepared to deviate ever so slightly.  You may find that what you create is light years beyond what you could have ever imagined.

Understand the Tools
To be fully effective, a creator must understand not only how to use the tools of a particular craft, but also understand that those tools can be used in new ways.  Watching Bob Ross, he displayed such mastery in his tools.  He knew how to take a dark background and lay color on it just right so that a specific effect was induced.  He knew how to drag colors across the canvas with specific brushes and knives.  Wetting and drying his brushes, just so, would allow certain textures to be created.

As a guitarist, I have an understanding of musical notes, tempo, hammer-ons, pull-offs, strumming and picking patterns, and various other tools.  Combining these tools requires understanding and practice.  A person doesn't simply pick up an instrument without some sort of understanding of music and technique.  A writer must know the language they are writing in, and understand how words fit together.  A chef understands the chemistry as well as the artistry of food preparation.

Whatever the media is that you use to create with, know the tools of the craft.  Continually learn how to use them.  Realize that there is always something new to learn and implement. The more you understand your tools, the more alive your creation will be.

Understand the Subject
This is the one thing that really amazed me while watching Bob's creation come to life.  He understood the form of nature.  He knew how wind interacted with trees, water, and birds.  He was a student of light play upon objects, and how material objects affect each other.  He saw much deeper than just the surface of a wave, or the way a cloud billowed.  He understood what made them look the way they did.  Armed with this knowledge, he was able to give full emotion to his art.

Even an abstract artist must have an understanding of the subject they are emulating.  There might be the use of numbers in an artist's painting, such as any art that is based on a Fibonacci sequence.  Sculpting the human form requires understanding the human anatomy and movement.  To write a love song, a lyricist must have experienced love.

Knowing the subject of your creation not only allows you to connect with it, but it allows the people who experience your creation to connect with the subject too.

I love being an artist, a creator.  There is something magical that I take part in every time I give birth to a creation.  The act of creating is more than just putting things together.  It is a craft that requires a certain amount of education and development.  It is a thing of beauty that is more than just accidental, although "accidents" can play a valuable role in creating.

The next time you listen to a song, or view a piece of art, I invite you to imagine what was going through the mind of the creator.  It may teach you something more about yourself.

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