Creative Genius

The Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
[Alice checks Hatter's temperature]
Alice Kingsley: I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers.
But I’ll tell you a secret.
All the best people are.
Like a movie has a beginning, middle and end so to does the creative process. How you treat the artistic soul whilst they are in the midst of their journey does a lot to inspire them.  Treat an artist well, remind them of the “beauty they possess inside” and perhaps their art will reflect love and joy. Yell at them, rush or push them and you will get a product that isn’t perhaps what you expected or wanted. Create an environment where an artist constantly feels they are under attack and don’t be surprised if they don’t walk away from you or find a way to use their art to reflect their hurt, anger or rage.  Both love and hate inspire.

For artists who work in standards based industries or those that work on commission their is the need to meet certain expectations. A need to satisfy or please the client. Clients will try to take you in all kinds of crazy directions. Sometimes you need to, you want to, you feel you should work with them and other times you just have to let the work speak for itself.

I’d say ask yourself what do you want to inspire from those around you but that isn’t my place. That is a question you have to come to on your own. Like who is in your inner circle or who is sleeping on your couch the choices about who you let into your world are very important. As a young artist you don’t always get to select your teachers, your mentors or your influences. Thankfully as you grow older you do! Traveling around this year I’ve seen some beautiful art, learned from some wonderful role models and watched mentors in action as they inspire.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
—  Theodor Seuss Geisel-


This entry was posted on Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 6:11 AM and is filed under Words and tagged with , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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