Serendipity.

Truth be told, once I am working on a project, I don't mind a little change to my plan.  Like when I ran out of black thread on the Thurman skirt and stitched part of it in grey.  Or when I decided to add the painting and embroidery to the shirt I posted about last week.  Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention; sometimes I'm just trying to keep an open mind about the process -- and the results.

Last week I met with my textile mentor for a morning of textile play, in which we painted and layered and stitched and glued.  Definitely out of my box.  I left feeling satisfaction that I had tried some new techniques, but also disappointment -- not with the results so much, but with my engagement in the task.  We mostly worked on collages, and though I can appreciate others' efforts, that's a technique I've never aspired to.  (Just to be sure, I looked through my idea folders when I got home, and sure enough, very little collage work in there.)

While we were working together, I kept mentioning my need to plan -- for good or ill.  Then afterwards I began to wonder:  did I not like the project itself (collage) or was I resisting spontaneity (and potential growth)? 

I may be open to serendipity when I'm already at work on a project, but am I so mired in my process (dwell-plan-create) that I'm unwilling to look at another way of doing things?

Or is my process what's best for me?

My husband (aka Sugardog) reassured me by saying that Bruce Springsteen is a craftsman, fine tuning everything before it's released, whereas Neil Young has been known to record songs in one take.  And then I started thinking about all the many forms of artistic expression and the whole spectrum of "planning" art.  More notes for my journal.

I really would love to know what you think.  Yes, you.  Are you comfortable with spontaneity in your creative work?  What role does it play?  I'd love to have even more food for thought.

Comments

[chel]

This is hard for me. Very few projects come out as I hope or plan- sometimes for the better, sometimes it's a huge disappointment, but usually I learn from the mistakes and find something *completely* new which I wind up making into a major part of my work. A LOT of my clay/jewelry work evolved that way.

However, I am a control freak. And I spend about two hours swimming laps every day, in which I do nothing but think about art and colors and ideas and things I want to try and what I'd like things to look like. I also spend a lot of that time thinking about a result I'd like and work backwards, coming up with ideas and suggestions.

So I think the two hours of nothing but brainstorming can be dangerous for me, especially when very little of it comes to fruition.

I'm also trying to "loosen up" a lot, because I know some of my best stuff has ultimately come from me playing around a bit, even though it ultimately feels like a huge exercise in frustration and wasted time while it's happening...

[Krista]

Gina--wonderful post.
Chel--Your comment is a close reflection of my thoughts and process. I too am "learning to "loosen up" and enjoy a freeing" process, if you will. It fuels me when a new creation evolves from the original thought and it is even better!! And other folks like it. (I am a stay at home mom with not even an ounce of talent. But at 42, I finally know what I want to do when I grow up--or when the last kid has started school.)
Thank you again for sharing and letting me share.