Preparing images for a new website or sorting through the contents of your studio is always a time of reflection and enables one to stand outside and see the big picture of changes and developments in your work. Reviewing my artistic activities of the last couple of years I am reminded of the importance of reflection but not simultaneously with the act of creation.
While I was a young student my creative endeavours were frequently derailed by a critical and undermining self masquerading as a friend. My own interference with the creative flow of energy that constitutes being in the moment of producing a painting, drawing or sculpture frequently caused disruption to my process. As a student I had not only to contend with the misjudged and awkward intervention of tutors who seemed not to possess any understanding of how to provide the conditions for positive growth, sensitive questioning or any desire to seek to understand their student but also my own critical self.
Later in life, when I too became a teacher, I was very aware of the damage that can be done to anyone engaged in the creative act and, because of my own experiences and wide educational reading, was able to offer a much greater level of supportive encouragement with the ability to develop a rapport with my students that fostered an intelligent use of the reflective process. In the last couple of years I have honed this ability in myself and have developed my own awareness to such an extent that I can make the most of my time and get into the creative flow (see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and the psychological concept of flow).
Next post: What flow ‘looks’ like in my process.