In his book Novelist as Vocation, Haruki Murakami writes about the requirements he deems necessary for artists to be truly original. He says that an artist’s style:
“must have the power to update itself. It should grow with time, never resting in the same place for long, since it expresses an internal and spontaneous process of self-reinvention.”
While I’m not concerned with being “original,” this really struck a chord with me because having made art for as long as I can remember, the content and style of my work has gone through many distinct phases over the years. If you knew me in high school and in my early 20s you know that I was all about mushrooms. But after a certain unidentifiable point, mushrooms stopped appearing in my work and it became filled with something else… because ultimately, I’m really just along for the ride. I’m not necessarily in control of the imagery that pervades my work, I’m just open to what passes through.
My grandpa keeps asking me, “why do you like mountains so much?” and the truth is I don’t really have an answer yet. Just some foggy ideas that aren’t clear enough to put into words yet. I think my mountain obsession started when we moved to an apartment with a view of Mt Hood. Amazed by the many colors and moods she seemed to take on depending on the season and weather, the symbol of the mountain stirred something in me that I’ve been trying to define ever since. But I think that's what the repetitive process of depicting mountains is all about - with each drawing or painting I’m getting closer to knowing what it means to me. Creating art is an investigation into understanding WHY. WHY am I so inspired by a certain image? And what will be my next fixation? Only time will tell. But if you’ve been following me lately, you know that right now it's maps. Maps of Oregon.
I’ve had some ideas bubble to the surface about why I’m fixated on making maps recently. So much so that I tried writing a new artist statement. But in spite of pages of scrawled thoughts it's just not coming together… so maybe it is still too half baked to be forced into something concise and coherent. Just like my mountain obsession. So I decided that writing something more free-formed here might be a better place to start. But I started this over a month ago so clearly I wasn’t even ready for that.
Murakami also has a great metaphor in Vocation as Novelist about drawers. He describes how as a writer, his mind is full of different drawers that each hold different ideas, memories, and visions. While he picks and chooses which drawers to pull from for his novels, I like this idea when thinking about the recurring imagery in my artwork. I have a drawer for maps, one for mountains etc. I can open a drawer and pull something out, work on it and work on it, and not reach a conclusion. But that's ok. There is no reason to force answers or even have any kind of conclusion, because I know it won’t be authentic if it's forced. So, I can pull something out, work on it, then file it away again in its drawer and give it time to simmer.
Last night I read a beautiful interview with Lana Del Rey in Vogue Italia, and it inspired me to finish this post just not in the way I originally intended. When talking about her upcoming country album, she said she “put it on hold” because she didn’t recognize herself in it. “I might turn it into something more ‘Southern gothic,’ like it was meant to be from the start,” she said. Letting it simmer until she knows how to finish it right.
When writing his novels, Murakami takes prescribed breaks between drafts, noting that “the time spent working on a long novel is important, to be sure, but time spent doing nothing is no less so.” He then goes on to quote Ray Bradbury:
“The time we have alone–the time we have walking, the time we have riding a bicycle–is the most important time for a writer. Escaping from the typewriter is part of the creative process.
You have to give the subconscious time to think.”
I couldn’t agree more. I think everything needs its own time and has to move at its own pace to develop with authenticity - whether it's a painting, a blog post, or a pot of Bolognese. If you want it to be good it can’t be rushed. I’m excited to share my ideas about mountains and maps when they're ready… but back in the drawer they go for now. I’ll leave those drawers open for me to look at and rifle through, but I trust that they will continue to take shape in the meantime. And after reading Lana’s interview I feel affirmed in the pivot this blog post has taken… The process of creative flow has to be free to take whatever course it needs - unhindered and free of constraint.
Further Reading:
Read Haruki Murakami's book Vocation as Novelist! (And all his other books. I also love What I Talk About When I Talk About Running for more insight into his creative process)
Read some excellent excerpts from Haruki Murakami's book Vocation as Novelist Here
Read Lana Del Rey's interview with Vogue Italia Here (Scroll to the end for English)
Ideas on maps...
The Mushroom Era c. 2010-2013?
Just a few of the mountains Here...
And a reminder to get out there... take breaks and put work on hold while ideas and inspiration brews...
Comments