Refresh Your Creativity Through Collaboration

Written by Guest Author: Tien Frogget

Is your art/ photography/ design/ writing (fill in the blank with any creative medium you like) getting to be a recycling of the same concepts and ideas? Are you looking for something to bump you out of the rut and into a new realm of creative projects? This creativity booster might be perfect for you.

Why not try teaming up with someone else to create something new?

Musical artists do it all the time. They are constantly teaming up with other singers and musicians to create new songs and fuse their styles and ideas together. They feature each other on their music albums and share the work with their fan bases and their listeners discover new musicians that they like. By teaming up, they bounce ideas off of each other and come up with things that they wouldn’t have otherwise come up with.

So why is it that artists don't usually like to team up? It seems like creating a painting or a photograph is often a solo endeavor – something that we tackle on our own. But imagine the possibilities if you decided to create something with another artist! It’s not something that you have to start doing all the time (unless of course you really like it) but it can be an excellent way to get fresh perspective and get your creativity flowing.

The person that you decide to collaborate with will have a completely different history, viewpoint, and way of thinking than you do. They will inevitably approach the project differently than you do, and take it in an unexpected direction, and you will do the same for them. If you can go with the flow and play off of each other, you might just create something completely unique! (Especially if you collaborate with someone who’s style of work is vastly different than your own.)

Image by Greg Schurman

It’s definitely worth giving a try – and if you find that you conflict with the person that you teamed up with, try someone else. It’s important to find someone that you work well with and you can both let go of the end result in order to just enjoy the process. The goal isn’t to create a masterpiece, it is to have fun and discover new ways of creating together, bouncing ideas off of one another and moving in new directions. (Although you might just end up creating a masterpiece anyway.)

Give it a try! What do you have to lose? And think of what you might create… !

Can You Learn How to Paint Art in an Hour?

"I just want a painting for my walls - and I don't want to spend a lot of money."

Every so often I'll get a call from someone wanting only a couple of quick and easy art lessons so they can make a nice picture for their wall. They often expect to be able to create this masterpiece in an hour. After all, art is play right? How hard could it be?

So I ask if they play the piano or have some other finely honed skill. I then ask them how long it took them become a master at it. My goal is to bring them around to an understanding of all that's involved in learning how to create a fine piece of art.

Cheap Art Supplies

Sometimes they don't believe me and sign up for classes anyway. Showing up with a 'beginner kit' of cheap supplies - brushes that won't hold their shape and shed faster than a golden retriever in springtime; canvas that's warped; tiny tubes of odd colors like chartreuse and flamingo created mostly of binder with a minimum of pigment and destined to fade within 6 months — And of course, their crowning glory —  a blurry smartphone photo of a mixed-media abstract painting (highly detailed) — and they expect to make one just like it. 

I'm usually able talk them into starting with something simpler and begin their first lesson with color mixing and simple composition theory. After an hour or so they realize that what looked so incredibly simple, isn't. 

Inexpensive Wall Art

In all honesty, it's isn't their fault. We live in an instant and disposable society full of inexpensive, mass-produced prints available through stores like Ikea, Costco, Target and Walmart.

We watch professional artists magically whip out great art effortlessly in 5 minute YouTube videos. Artists who give no hint of their years of trial and failure, college, expenses and practice — purposely to keep the magical illusion alive.

Don't get me wrong, there IS plenty of magic - but it usually comes with years and years... and years (did I mention all the years?) of invested time and money.

And so those who have no experience expect that making art is quick and easy (my kid could do that).

In my art classes, I share how the magic of art is really created. Learning to paint involves time, effort and the advantage of quality art supplies. My students learn how to create the magic of beautiful art for themselves.

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The cost of good art supplies can be managed over a period of a few months and if taken care of, will last for many years.

How to make a great painting?
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Master Student

You can always fix a problem in an oil painting. If you don't like a painting you've made, you don't have to toss it - you can paint over it. With watercolors you can turn the paper over and try again or use it for a collage.

To learn what works, you often have to learn what doesn't. Every mistake is a lesson in growth.

Dale Carnegie once said, “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”

Understanding Different Kinds of Watercolor Paper

Want an Easy Way to Remember the Difference between Hot Press Paper and Cold Press Paper?
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Whether we are talking about watercolor paper sheets, watercolor panels, art board, watercolor blocks or pads - this tip will stick in your mind.

• When you are cold, you get goose bumps. Cold Press papers have 'tooth' or slight texture
• When you are hot, your skin is very smooth. Hot Press papers are smooth.
• And of course, Rough means rough. Rough papers have more tooth than cold press papers.

Drawing paper is usually labeled smooth, medium texture, rough and even 'super tooth', but illustration boards like Crescent and Bainbridge brands still go by cold and hot press.

What's the Difference Between a Plate and a Vellum Surface?

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These terms are used with bristol board and papers.

• Vellum has more tooth, like cold press.
• Plate is smooth, similar to hot press.

Hot Press Paper:

Cold Press Paper:

Rough Paper:

How to Improve Your Ability to See as an Artist

When is Seeing Less, Seeing More? When you SQUINT!

Squint often at your subject and also at your drawing or painting. If you can squint away an element in your subject, but not in your painting or drawing, then you know the value is too light or too dark in that area of your work and you will know that you need to tone it down.

When you begin an image (a painting, a drawing, a sketch), you want to lay in just the structural basics first. Details should come ONLY at the end.

Squinting allows you to remove all the detail from what you see and leaves you with just the basics - the basic shapes, the basic values (light and darks). Begin by drawing or painting only these basics (your structure), then later you can open your eyes more, see more and decorate your structure with the details.

What we're afraid of:
Not seeing everything! Missing details! (Actually, we're afraid of creating a bad image that others will laugh at. Then "they" will know our secret.... we aren't really any good!) Want to know a secret? We ALL have the SAME secret!

SOLUTION:
Create for yourself only. Show only the work you are happy with (destroy the rest - hey! A LOT of famous artist's have done this!) But seriously, create for the sheer pleasure of creating. Don't worry about how it will turn out or whether it will be 'right'. There is no right or wrong in art (just my opinion here folks), because whatever you create is an expression of your inner being, and only YOU know what's inside.

AIM FOR:
Growth. Just keep practicing. Practicing gives you the chance to better yourself (here that? Better yourself, not be better than everyone else!) As you notice improvements (by looking back at your older work), you will find yourself enjoying the process - and frankly, that's what I think it's all about!

Now just go for it!

.... Repeat after me: "I can do this! Yes I can! This is being FUN!"

Why Are We Educating People OUT of Creativity?

We're Educating People OUT of Creativity
Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences.

"We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

Funny, Profound and Entertaining
Sir Ken Robinson is author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, and a leading expert on innovation and human resources. In this talk, he makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it.

This is a 18 minute TedTalk video, so settle back when you have the time - it is so well worth the viewing!

Little Girl whose Now a Multi-Millionaire
One of the most extraordinary parts is about the little girl who couldn't sit still in class - they thought she had a learning disorder. Turns out - well, she's someone quite famous. You'll just have to watch this for yourself!

Enjoy! Tell me what YOU think!