The artist in the room

I always find it funny being the artist in the room. More like the creative. For some reason people assume that your brain is wired to think differently compared to others when it comes to coming up with suggestions. Everyone turns to look at you… Well what should we do? Cause I’m the creative. You know being an artists doesn’t really mean you think on the spot. Actually a lot of times we have mental blocks, the same way writers do. Doesn’t mean they are always ready to write but they do write eventually.

There’s something called process through practice where you’re able to unlock that mental block by creating. Most of the times I don’t really know what I’m doing until I do it. It’s only through that process of creating that it becomes clear to me, what I’m eventually going to do. Maybe that’s why sometimes I find it hard to explain beforehand.

I mean don’t get me wrong, planning is the best thing you should do as an artist. I’m learning to storyboard a lot more and work with sketches. I love that my sister got me a pocket sketch book and I draw in a few sketches here and there that help direct my thoughts. In fact I’m discovering drawing again which was something I was always afraid of. To challenge myself further, I use a pen to draw, not a pencil because I have a bad habit of erasing a lot. I realize that when I draw with a pencil I am more relaxed and I seek perfection. My point is, a lot of the time the final outcome of the work you present is never the same as the original plan. Usually it’s better because as you create the plan you make changes through the process of creating and when you’re done, it’s an awesome masterpiece.

To all the artists in the room… I know we can all relate to the stares and the head turns when someone asks you point blank a creative related question. You are expected to blat out an answers like an incredible magician. It’s ok… I need everyone to chill out and relax. A good piece requires time, requires patience and is brought about by the process it undergoes through tuning. The truth is, no one ever knows what the outcome will be until it’s done. We artists don’t even know what the final work will look like before we create it. We might have an idea but the outcome is never the same as the initial idea. So don’t take for granted the time and effort that goes into creating. Take the time to plan, document the process and let that generate the outcome that defines it.