Monday, April 13, 2015

A Trinity of Joy




As opposed to setting our art or even our art room on fire,  I'd like to talk about setting our creative mind on fire.

I want to talk about the trinity that brings us JOY and sets us on fire.

Very often it is the simplest of things that make for satisfaction-  coffee, cream, sugar; or perhaps it is coffee, a good book and a comfy chair;  or coffee, friends, conversation, etc.   ;^)  But anything seriously  complicated makes creases in our foreheads.  If we eliminate the name calling and use the KIS principle- keep it simple,  we can perhaps gain a better understanding of what starts a creative fire, revives cooling embers or even builds up the wood supply for that flaming fire.. It is of course understood that simple is not the same as fast, easy, sloppy, etc. but keeping the decision making simple keeps the firewood ready!


This week I would like to look at the Trinity, The Power of Three as it applies to art.

The Power of Three:

Art, a three letter word, is comprised of three parts.  The three basic components of art are Subject, Form and Content.  A creative work employs composition, elements of art and principles of design.  The result should produce joy!  And light your fire!

Joy begins with J for justification. The artist must have a subject, a theme, a beginning that is worthy of exploring and expressing.  It is the motivation that will carry the project from conception, through choice, to completion.

There is no joy in settling for same old, same old.  What fires your creativity?  A familiar subject or series still needs justification. 




Triangle!  Three ties- good, better, best!  My mum used to tell me good, better, best.  Never let them rest, until the good is better, and the better is BEST!

Puttering around in my playroom makes me happy.  But am I experiencing Joy?  Honestly, no.  I'm letting fear of the fire paralyze me.  I can not justify my current projects.   It is time to start playing with fire!  But I think my wood is wet!  Next we'll have a look at the fuel.
                                          

This post has been for the ...And Then We Set It On Fire...  blog.   I hope that followers and visitors will support this wonderful resource for mixed media artists where there is lots of fun playing with fire!

5 comments:

Createology said...

Very powerful post elle dear! You have me thinking of what I am actually doing with my time vs art. Thank you! Creative Bliss...

Nita said...

Hummmm.....I don't know if I agree with you this time. To me, justification implies a judgement of worthiness. I think that sometimes we need to simply allow ourselves to create through play, without justifying. That's my struggle, anyway. Interesting discussion. :)

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I seem to have that paralyzing fear at times, when I'm working on something new. This is very interesting, and I can appreciate the trinity. I DO try to do my best, even when I'm hampered by a lack of tools and supplies. Go set the Fire blog on FIRE!!

elle said...

Nita- I think justification can be as simple as "Are you having fun doing this?". Gosh, I'd never get anything done if it had to be worthy! But thanks for your comment!

Vicki W said...

Great post!