Private Creative Process Workshop

Recently, I facilitated a private workshop for a new client. She expressed a desire to learn encaustics, but this was just our medium of delivery. What we were really exploring was the act of creative processing. How do you take some seed of inspiration and create an artistic outcome? How do you bear fruit from this seed? That is what we truly explored.

Figuring out how to take an idea and build momentum on that idea, is the most difficult part of the creative process. Something inspires you, but you have no idea to put it into some communicable language. Visual art is a language like any other. Music, food, a business plan, a poem, a delicious meal, a book, a manuscript, a letter, a home.... they all are possible from that first seed of an idea.

Rita had the colour grey in mind. She had sent me some photos of grey walls, subtle lighting. Then she showed me a picture of a broken wasps nest. The interwoven folds of delicate wasp-made paper, was a beatiful thing. She had these photos, but then she mentioned that she still had the nest. I asked her if she could bring it to the studio. Then I showed her how I take photos of branches in nature. I highlight them by placing a board behind so I can clearly see the shape of the plant. This sparked her desire to do the same with the nest. She started taking these beautiful compositional photos of rocks with the nest. She saw the whole composition including the negative space and the shadows. This was so inspiring for her. They were beautiful photos. 

Have you ever sat staring at a blank page, canvas,
garden, fridge… and felt yourself tremble with anxiety? How they heck and I going to go from this jumble of supplies to something beautiful and recognizable that resonates with someone else??

This is my favorite place to work with people. Right at the beginning when someone is holding a precious seed and they need some guidance, a nudge, nurturing words, motivational talk, instructional suggestion - in order for their seed to become a seedling. 

Then we printed out some of the photos and she did some sketching. She saw new images with the line work. She took the idea into new directions. Charcoal, ink, transparent paper. Wax, resin - all was layered and experimented with. There are so many directions to go once the initial seed is planted. Especially in the beginning when all you know is something sparks your interest. You don't have a vision of a need to fill, or a completion time. You want to explore, play, develop something inspiring, motivating and engaging. Often you will find yourself travelling down a road for a bit and then back tracking and trying a different road. Ah no, but I liked that thing I did back there. Can we relook at things from that point? We are going to work on part two of the creative process in April. 

Here is what my beautiful, talented, open and curious client said about our time together:
"Jake is a very intuitive and attuned instructor with a gentle and sensitive hand. She is able to guide you in a subtle and yet tapped in way, drawing out what you want to create while also nudging you in directions you haven’t considered. I booked a 6 hour private session with her to learn encaustics and I gained far more than I had expected. Not only did I acquire insight into smart techniques but I got seriously inspired to adventure into this realm of art, though I am not a practiced visual artist. Jake held the kind, patient and attentive space I needed to explore with confidence. What a fantastic and life changing day! Thank you!” - Rita Bozi
#art #artist #inspiration #creative #workshop