I made this mini workshop out in my garden a few weeks ago, to talk about the frustrating 'creative slump' so many of us go through.
It features a soundtrack by one Missy the Parrot, who was outside at the time and trying to steal the limelight (as always).
Please enjoy, and feel free to share :)
The myth of the 'Slump' Mini Tutorial from Jani Franck on Vimeo.
Tres interessant!! Jani here´s one for you, something I am personally struggling with at the moment....
ReplyDeleteI have been a full time (indeed extremely full time) commercial artist for nearly eight years now... spending all day every day, and some evenings a weekends fulfilling the whims and wishes of my customers with my art. I am bound to create pieces based wholly on the ideas given to me. I have a measure of creative freedom but lets face it someone will not be happy if they ask for an apple and you give them a bananna. (Unless of course you can persuade them that banannas are THE ONLY WAY FORWARD, which works on some but sadly not on all, some at most will accept a bannapple.)
So now I am trying to get my own style going on....well I have my own style but i am trying to create my own pieces, with images based on my own ideas, on shit that I like, that I really fancy doing....and then selling the ideas to my customers as original pieces inthe hopes of getting to that sweet spot where I gain almost total creative freedom with every piece (or large project) that I do. There are many artists in my field who work like this.
My problem is this....after eight years of having my ideas fed to me by the penned in brains of my very normal customer base, I am finding it very difficult to come up with anything interesting....interesting and sellable. I have no ideas. All the skill in the world, I can draw anything I want to ffs. Without the limits placed upon me by my customers I am lost!!
Any thoughts on how I can break out of my commercial cage of Dooooooom and get it oooon with my own creativity?
Lots of love, Lanny xxxx
Hi Jani, Thank you for this. I have been poorly and going through emotional stuff recently and beating myself up for feeling totally paralysed creatively some days and also unable to function well at the other businessy type things I have to do. I knew this being harsh to Clare thing was counterproductive but sometimes you need to hear it from somebody else who knows how it works. Hugs, Clare Selina x
ReplyDeleteYes, 'life stuff' can really stomp on creativity, but we should never beat ourselves up about it. I like to think of my creativity as a little child, and never speak to my inner artist in a way I wouldn't speak to an upset 4 year old - it works so well!
DeleteLanny I fully recommend entering Jani's courses, no matter which one. All of them have the effect that they open up creativity big time, and create lasting effects.
ReplyDeleteHehe - Lanny had a gorgeous mentoring session with me - she's a lucky sausage as she gets family rates (she's my sister, see, so it's mentoring-for hugs!) - and has now started doing some gorgeous paintings as well as her stunning tattoo work :) One day you'll do some courses too, won't you Lanny-child?!
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