Transcripts
1. Embrace Fear in the Creative Process : hi chilly here from Australia. Thanks for joining me on my next class. This one is all about exploring how to embrace feed in the creative process. Let's get started. So we're going to explore the role that fear and vulnerability play in the creative process by understanding better. We can stop it from putting yourself from developing the skills or trying you created projects we're gonna have strategies to use. And we're going Teoh. Consider what an artist goes true, as I developed throughout school, so that you could use these these learnings and strategies to your own advantage in your own practice. Let's get started.
2. What is Creativity?: So what is creativity? What is the creative process? The May. As an artist, it's being willing to fail. It's going into a state where I don't know everything and where I'm prepared to try any things. We all know that when you're learning skills, you're not grated it at first. So what you create may not be what you want to pay, and that makes you really memorable, because if you're around others you may feel judged. You may feel self conscious, And do you really want to be able to put forward your best work, which is understandable. But as an artist, it's really important Teoh to learn how to accept your vulnerability and to kind of become more comfortable with it so you can sit with that feeling and still make me things.
3. How Artists Work : as an artist develops. Over time, they they established their own practice. They get a sense of what works for them, and they probably automatically and naturally develop strategies that protect them from the fear vulnerability might feel in creative persons. So what might work for one person may not work for another, but it's a topic that's worth considering and exploring, because it is something that a lot of space and have to manage themselves. Artists have different habits and processes, so part of these processes is that it helps facilitate their creative process and practice . So, for example, about a smart to come into the studio each morning and they may sweep the floor. And this is not exactly about having a pristine floor studio because, well, no studios and missing places can be. It's more about giving the oddest time and space to turn into the creative process and get in the right mindset. Work there. That's complete. So you might think about things that you would do is a ritual as a as a strategy Teoh A's yourself into accretive process and create that space where you can make
4. Making Things is Scary: making things can be scary, just like learning new skills. That's scary, too, because you're stepping out of your comfort zone. You're trying something new and you might fail and failures. Cape Hot of the creative process and becoming comfortable with that is one of the prime things you need to do. So you have the ability to continue to improve and continue to practice, cause if you get put off my feeling vulnerable feeling, being the creative process and feel scared to file, you're likely to give it up. That would be really sad. So let's look at some things we can do to support ourselves while we feel uncomfortable, feel like our comforts and it's being stretched and so we can enjoy that more easily. People often learn you creative skills in a class environment, and this could be a bit confronting, particularly feel new to making things because you feel very, very vulnerable and and what you're making its very public. Often, students will look at each other's work and they will comment and it's easy as a the students to feel a little bit so conscious and not feel very comfortable with sharing what you're doing and this is really natural. So if you're in your studio at home, the kitchen table, you have a corner of the room where you make your creative things. You're a little bit more in control of your environment there, and you can choose who comes into your studio or who you show you work, too. Others too often really selective about who they let into their studio and who they should work to and watch. What stage they're work is that before they'll show it to someone. And you know, this really comes back down to the role of fear and vulnerability in the creative process. Artists protect themselves from from those negative experiences by having control of their environment and choosing through the inviting who they asked to critique their work and who they show their work to. So you can take all of this on board. It's up to you who you show you work, too. It's up to you, comes into your street here, so make some decisions that suit you and support you in making your creative process something you come back to regularly
5. Make Fear an Asset: So what can we do as artists to make fear and memorability and asset? How do we use it to advantage? One of the first things we can do is to actually be conscious off that hand aware of it and to decide we're going to accept that as part of the experience and part of the creative process. That means that it's no surprise when it happens, we can feel those feelings and we can go. Oh, I know that this is part of making things, and then you can just accept that and carry on without being by accepting fear and vulnerability in the creative process, you really take the power out of it. So another strategy that we can employ to use fear and and vulnerability to our advantage. UMA creative process. It's so actually choose to sit with those feelings. Watch using to stick with those feelings. When we experience, um, they become more familiar to us, and over time they will become more comfortable
6. Artist Development: So I wanted to discuss what happens to an artist when they spent three years at at school and how those story he is really prepares them to deal with feelings of vulnerability and see when they're making things. So when you start out school, typically you don't have that much experience in making you have some, but certainly not a professional. And you're very ambitious and hurtful about your future in the creative industries. So this brings quite a lot of pressure for beginner and go into at school. You have classmates, you 10 classes, you learn new skills and you try and and you fail. That's a natural part of learning and a natural part of making. And initially it's quite confronting and disappointing on quite difficult for the out student to deal with. But over time you become familiar with it, you become more comfortable with it, and you see that those around you are also family, that they're trying and they learn things so it becomes the norm and you have three years of being explorers to this sort of environment, and this really prepares you to be a professional artist who can actually withstand the vulnerability of feed involved in making at at school. You also experience processes that really test your ability to withstand criticism and the opinion about this and this gives you a thicker skin for the future. For example, a za painting Students in 30 I had several critiques which involved a couple of teachers and sometimes other students were present and they would spend maybe half a now looking at my body of work, things that were in progress, things were finished, things that were just started, and they would discuss and analyze my work and talk about what was positive, but also talk about what wasn't working and what a thought actually do to improve. And this is quite a public assessment of my work and blast kills. Why professionals who I admired. And so this really took what, uh, sense it in a strength for May to not take it personally to be quite robust about the process and to view it as a positive thing. And this has put me in good stead for the future, and I I'm able to accept that vulnerability and fee in making is part of the process, and I'm not personally attached to my work as much as I would have been as a beginner. So if I make something and it doesn't work, I don't feel worthless because my work is separate from May. And if I make something and someone else doesn't like it, it's separate from May. So I don't take it as hard as I would if I was a beginner and putting everything into this pace and felt like my worth as a person was connected to the pace I made, so that's something to consider as you progress on your creative journey.
7. The Process of Making: really make things. You turn an idea into an object, and I think there's actually a predictable process that's involved in the making your things. And if we can understand this process better, we can actually use that understanding to help us through that process and to get to the point of resolution with more things that we make. So the creative process of making something usually stops with a spark, an idea and that initial moment is an experience of optimism and excitement about what may be able to do. And then there's a period of thinking about that and think, he read, If you have the materials, if he knows what the techniques are and getting prepared to start making for May I know that when I actually started painting, it's always very promising. It always feels like the paintings gonna go so well, and I put down the initial layers pain tonight. Think wow piece. It's going so fantastically, But I am. I've been doing this for quite some time, and I have a theory that every painting moves through an ugly stage. Now, this is something that I thought about when I was an art student, at high school, and I noticed that every every artwork would start with this optimism and promise. But inevitably, every single work would fall into the ugly stage. Now the ugly stage is where the painting becomes more challenging. It no longer seems to be moving along. So fluid lease It did originally, and you've hit some challenges. It's not looking very good, and you really having to push through and struggled through to bring this painting into anything that you would be happy. Now this is continued lyinto creative life, and I believe that thesis applies to any project. We're making something and the ugly stage can. Sometimes you breathe, but more often than not, it's actually quite long, and it's quite taxing emotionally mentally to keep working through it. And it often, like some paintings, have been so difficult for me to finish, they really felt like holes wrestling with them. Um, I turn up to the studio and working it again, and it just wouldn't be improving, and it can be very, very difficult. But in knowing that I I can't accept it diseases an expected part of the creative process, and I know that if I can push through the ugly stage that the painting will reach a point of resolution Now. This isn't to say that every painting is a masterpiece, because it's certainly not. But I do believe that every work has a potential, and that's linked to your skills and your knowledge and the idea at that point. And it can keep working and keep pushing through the only stage every out lyrical project can reach its earn point of resolution. It can become the best that it could in the given circumstances, all that work now. Sometimes you know the circumstances, the idea skill, um, your frame of mind, what be such that it is going to be a fantastic outwork at the end at other times that it may simply be an average pace. But whenever I make an average painting, although I'm disappointed that it wasn't the masterpiece I'm out of hurtful. I know that it's one step closer to a better painting, and you know there are no shortcuts with painting or the creative process. Sorry, you have to do the work and you have to show up to the street here, and you have to do those pretty average paintings to progress to a bit of work. So I say, keep working, pushed through the ugly stage and bring H pace to a state of resolution, if you possibly can.
8. The Importance of the Ugly Stage: I think that the ugly stage in creative processes is really the K thing that stops people progressing because if because if they come up against that level of struggle and difficulty, many people will leave, leave the project. They weren't returned toe, and it's such a shame because it really is an integral part of making things Any failed stood that and you about the ugly stage and knew that it was coming. Maybe they would keep working, and maybe they would actually push through it and find that they work progresses that I learned new skills I actually improved while beyond what I ever imagined they could. Sir, Keep in mind when you're making things that they will bayan ugly stage in every pacing make . So so don't let it put you off you some strategies to keep coming back and pushing through it and really take on a sense of achievement. When you actually have a work to a state of resolution, it's an achievement. It's not something to be taken lightly, and you should feel proud
9. Class Project: So for your class projects, I've created a payday of work shape for you to go through, which will help you think about your own challenges in the creative process. Know how you respond to the fear vulnerability you experience when Lenny things, and also to think about whether you have taken your projects beyond the ugly stage or whether it's that you have been put off and you have lots of unfinished works. Once you've done may seek and then think about strategies to address the roads, and then you can move forward in your next projects and and hopefully start finishing things. Stop pushing through that ugly stage and start to see you work progress, and over time you will find us so much more comfortable with the creative process and the fear and vulnerability that it involves.
10. Thanks!: thank you for joining me on this exploration of fear, vulnerability in the creative process. I heard that it has shed some watch on what it's like to make things and the processes that artists go through. Ah, heart pick has given you some tips and strategies that you can employ and ah, high peak and benefit from some of the suggestions I've made. Understanding how artist develops throughout school gives you some tools and some ideas on what actually is required to make something. So it take these with you and move forward and don't be put off by fear and vulnerability again. Happy making.
11. More Art Classes: I've made lots of classes on painting and drawing and water colors. Color theory, endless classes for you to take, and you'll find that each one you do your skills will develop and grow. So let's have a look at how to follow me on school Share. Here is the full I button. Click on this, and if you hover your mouse over this part here, it'll take you through to my profile as well. Under my profile, you'll see all of the classes I've created, and you'll be able to see the range of classes you could take. So here are highlight a couple of my classes color mixing basics for absolute beginners. Copying the masters with Shelly Learn to paint. Watch me work. Embrace fear in the creative process. Begin is charcoal drawing how to paint gloss and beginners figure drawing gesture. I'm creating new outclasses all the time on I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to support you as you develop your own creative skills and make your way on your own creative journey. So let's start making stuff
12. Brief Teacher Introduction: so from a creativity is central to what I do. It really feeds. May I think creativity is vital to our well being and is worth pursuing and is worth investing time in. My name is Shelly. I'm a Sydney based artist, Andi. I work across many mediums. I studied oil painting at the National at School in Sydney. It was a beautiful sandstone jail with a very traditional Italian based structure, so we learned drawing every stage of education. By taking these classes step by step, you'll build your skills, your knowledge and also you experience and confidence. And that's the thing that's worth pursuing, because in the end, you're an artistic practice could really sustain you and sustain your life. So I really hope that these classes help you on your creative journey. And they make doing these creative activities less scary and give you some confidence to move forward in your in practice. Thanks for stopping by. I really hurt my classes of helpful for you. You might even say my to studio assistants Ali and Millie in some of the classes
Shellie Cleaver, Visual art + academic writing classes
