Friday, July 15, 2016

5 Tips to Awaken Your Inner Artist


 



Call me old school, but I get a thrill from shopping for my summer reads in a brick and mortar store. I love the smell of new books and the awkward, weighty feel of balancing a stack of promising adventure in my arms. I like turning paper pages while losing myself in mysterious story worlds. There’s something real about the physical involvement with a book that makes my reading experience more intimate and ultimately more pleasurable. 


It’s the same with art. These days, I design new art almost exclusively on the computer. The other day I was transferring a small scale computer rendering of a commission into a full scale drawing. At first, the pencil felt awkward in my hand. My eraser was actually still a pristine pink rectangle with sharp corners; a tell-tale sign of neglect and deep embarrassment for any artist. The inexperienced pink poser was a disgrace compared to the many oval shaped, pencil lead stained nuggets that saw me through numerous drawings. Unlike its active predecessors that would roll out of the way when I swept a graceful arc across the blank page, this starched newbie barely tumbled and just got in my way. After a few minutes, the old familiar rhythm returned and the design took shape. And that’s when I felt real joy. Freedom. It was the interaction with the pencil, paper and even the stubborn eraser that transported me to that introspective plateau where new and exciting works of art are born.


Some people don’t think they can draw. It’s not true. You can draw. It’s as much a learned skill as riding a bike. Like anything else, it takes practice. But more importantly, it takes desire. 


During a lunch date, a friend told me a story about her 80-year-old mother who lives in a lovely assisted living facility. From her well-appointed apartment she has a breathtaking view of Tampa Bay. Even so, her mother was always unhappy. Nothing was ever good enough. She continually complained about everything. Until one day when my friend gave her mother a box of colored pencils and a coloring book filled with intricate designs. Her mother was reluctant at first, but after some encouragement she gained confidence and came to enjoy coloring the detailed images. My friend credits the coloring book for dramatically improving her mother’s attitude about everything. Now when she goes to see her, the visits are more pleasant and she’s sent home with beautifully colored refrigerator art. 


There’s no doubt about it, coloring and drawing are therapeutic. It liberates your mind and allows you to think abstractly. And that is revitalizing.   


How do you awaken your inner artist?


1.       Doodle. There are no rules and no critiquing your scribbles. Go ahead, mess up clean paper. Sketch incomplete design ideas you’ve been noodling around. Let them evolve organically on the page. Overlap and combine unrelated concepts to explore totally new directions.   



2.       Get up and out. Take a 40 to 60-minute walk outside and leave your cell phone behind. The world will survive your short absence. About 15 minutes into the walk your mind will clear. Problems will fade away. You’ll start to hear the birds, see the lacey shadows made by the trees and feel the breeze on your cheeks. Then after another 10 minutes something wonderful will happen. Solutions to problems become obvious. New ideas you were trying hard to force will come to light. The revelations will leave you feeling refreshed and lighthearted. And best of all, you’re likely to find out that you enjoy your own company. You don’t need the constant stimulation of your phone. Your doing just fine all by yourself.    



3.       Clean the shower. Maybe it’s the closed-in environment combined with the harsh chemicals, I don’t know. But I always get great new artistic ideas while cleaning the shower. Folding laundry has a similar effect on me, it could work for you as well. Plus, unpleasant chores get done.



4.       Draw like you mean it. Confidence will come with practice. But you have to start somewhere. Take a large sheet of paper and draw out the shape of your intended project. Then let the pencil glide over the page without any preplanning. Try adding a new line in a different direction. Play with the space. Don’t hesitate to test unrelated combinations. The eraser is your friend. You can always remove something that isn’t working. Remember, a round eraser is a well-loved ally and evidence of experimental, freeform thinking.



5.       Try a new approach. I come to glass from a fine art background and so a lot of my work is pictorial in nature. When I want a fresh, less literal perspective I let my medium drive the design. I pull random pieces of colored glass from the scrap bins and stack them in piles in the center of my work table. They may sit there for days or weeks. Every so often I remix the piles making new combinations until something pops. Then I use that color palate on my next project.      




Making art is more than a mental exercise in creativity. If you expand your interaction and get physically involved as well, you’ll quickly find yourself exploring new territory and discovering all new possibilities for creative expression. 


Get going!

Lisa


UPCOMING WEBINARS AND WORKSHOP


BRAND NEW Webinar!

Upscale Fusing with Lisa Vogt

July 26, 2016

July 28, 2016


Incorporating pattern and texture to elevate and refine your fusing style, are the focus of this in-depth webinar. Join me and you’ll learn how to tastefully blend various cutting-edge techniques to add dimension and volume to your work. With the pros secrets revealed, you’ll be on the fast-track to developing winning combinations that’ll get your work noticed!

Register here







BRAND NEW Webinar!

Creative Slumping with Lisa Vogt

August 30, 2016

September 1, 2016


Reshaping the way you slump and drape glass, is the concentration of this detailed webinar. Join me and see how thinking outside-the-box and using readymade molds in new ways, offers numerous and exciting opportunities to produce unique forms. You’ll also learn how to make your own graceful, free-form shaped molds from readily available materials. No laborious measuring or messy mixes needed. There’s more. Lisa will take you one step further. She’ll show you how to use these different approaches in combination, to transform ordinary projects into inspiring, sculptural pieces of art.

Register here




NOW Registering!

Advanced Glass Fusing with Lisa Vogt

October 18-21, 2016

Personalized Instruction, 4-Day, Hands-on Workshop

Lisa’s Private Studio, Wesley Chapel, FL

Seats are limited. Register today.

This is my last hands-on workshop in 2016!




Here’s what the students are saying about the workshop.


“Lisa is an exemplary educator who is passionate about her craft. She is highly organized and mindful of her student’s strengths and challenges. Best practices of teaching as well as craftsmanship were utilized throughout the workshop. Thank you for igniting my creative spirit to a whole new level.” -JoAnn


“Loved everything about this class.” -Joni


“Great workshop. I learned so much. You were wonderful to work with.” -Erika


“My favorite part about the workshop was the creative flow between the instructor and the participants. Lots of positive feedback and encouragement. Lots of attention to detail.”


“What surprised me about the workshop was how many completed projects we were able to make during the workshop.” 


“My least favorite part about the workshop was having to leave! I loved everything about this intense and interactive workshop.”

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