What to do to get out of a rut?

[kestonh]

I haven't made anything (or even set foot in the studio) for about 6 months now. I've decided that I hate everything I'm doing- and need to figure out something new. Unfortunately, that big, shiny "NEW!!!" has been eluding me. There are tons of thing I've thought about starting on, but I seem to be a victim of inertia at the moment. So before I find myself completely entombed by this rut- what do all of you do to avoid or help get out of your own ruts?

[sculptorsam]

Perhaps the problem is the search for the NEW itself. Personally, I find that quest to be very short-sighted and ultimately self-defeating. What you really need is a Practice, a vocation to dedicate yourself to every day. One step at a time. And one day, after creating work after work, a piece you just completed will catch your attention out of the corner of your eye. You will marvel at a subtle new hint of expression you achieved though you will have no idea HOW you actually did it. This is the payoff to strive for, not the snipe-hunt that is the search for the eternal NEW.

All IMHO, of course. ;)

Sam

[sculptor]

I haven't made anything (or even set foot in the studio) ...... what do all of you do to avoid or help get out of your own ruts?

yes--from Sam--"And one day, after creating work after work, a piece you just completed will catch your attention out of the corner of your eye. You will marvel at a subtle new hint of expression you achieved though you will have no idea HOW you actually did it."
Leonard once said,..." if you do something 12 hrs a day, pretty soon, you get good at it.

here are more:
A)
clean-up--I find that sharpening a chisel or 2,3,4,5,... returns my body to being part of the tool-kit.....same,same....reclaiming the clay, or dismanteling used armatures
so
as the body gets involved, the mind seems to tag along------on a good day

B) focus on marketing and getting invited to or juried into new/different venues

I been in that mode since January, 'cepting a small break (6 weeks)for reproducing the mermaid----and a couple weeks on the taxes

C) join or create a sculptors workshop.
One of my mentors-Dwight Kalb- created a 1-2day a week sculpture/painters workshop--I asked him why he was willing to share his workspace and tolerate the 20 odd easels and macquettes crowding walls and corners.
He said, "It keeps me sculpting and involved" ...ancellary to this I noticed other benifits, a steady supply of models, shared perspective, etc. Personnaly, because of sharing with painters, I had to learn to work faster, no time for the blues just 100% pure focus and concentration---maybe it's an electro-bio-chemical thing, (getting in the zone) but it seemed that as the months passed, I'd shift into that mode within minutes of starting with the clay and armature.

D) focus on expanding the knowledge base--Last year I raided the libraries of all material on michaelangelo--referenced them back and forth, and became much more familiar with his developement as an artist and his works. "If I saw further, it was because i stood on the shoulders of giants"....

E) or,........... you could hang out in here..........

F) I'm still not finished with building my house and studio, and me beloved spouse has been complaining about the primitive(2x4s,plywood,paint) pseudo cabinets in our kitchen.........so, I guess that'll be my current personnal favorite

G) plant trees



but then again, there is always whiskey and bagpipes and ..dancing on the deck......

If anyone has more.........................................
cool?
rod

[kestonh]

Sam- all very true words.

if I may ramble for a bit-

It's not like I've been huddled in the corner, rocking, and sucking my thumb. I've been doing the remodeling thing, yardwork, autocross, hiking, etc. It's just that I have no real desire to work. I guess I'm just generally frustrated with this thing called "Art" and the lack of any real feedback in and with my work (it's all entirely my fault). I've got 2 deadlines for shows coming up soon and am looking into what I can recycle from my collection. My wife claims I have a fear of success (she's most likely right). I think I'm just tired of not getting anywhere (bad marketing on my part). I love to build, but I end up getting so engrossed with the work, and so mired down in the minutae of it all, that I end up having to always compromise the ideas to just get the stuff done- and it always leaves me hating the work in the end.

rambling done.


hmmm. the whiskey and bag pipes sound good...

[Araich]

No offense meant but 'fear of success' is nonsense. You cannot drive art, it has to drive you. If it is not there, then do something else. Walk away.

If it is the case that the work that has gone before, or work incomplete, is paralising you - then destroy it. Take a hammer to it, burn it and throw the ashes to the wind. Get drunk, tell everyone to go to hell and sleep late the next day.

Well... that has always helped me.

[novabelgica]

I think everyone of us goes through this 'phase' once in a while. Forcing yourself to make something or to come up with something new, makes matters even worse at times like these.

Point is, if you're an artist, you want to create, and that feeling will come back. When exactly is hard to say, but the urge to make art is always there, and will eventually get the upper hand.

One day you'll get an idea, some inspiration, and then you're off again. Happens to me regularly. I only made 2 small sculptures last year, but I'm sure as hell making up for it this year. Ofcourse, a nice commission always helps. :D

But Araich is right. Art cannot be made under pressure. If you're not having fun anymore, quit for a while. You'll be back. You'll see.

[JAZ]

Or, if you're not having fun with what you've been doing, do something completely different. A different material? Like wood? Or shape something with your hands and have it cast. I've just signed up for a casting class (something I've never done) for the summer that I hope will run. When you get bored with one thing, learn something else and often they merge/converge. How about trying something really big? Bigger than that blue heron-looking one on your website. Maybe twice as big. The work you have on your website is beautiful - an intelligent sythesis between natural and human artifacts. Find some different way to look at these. Okay...you don't have any that climb up the wall...that would seem a natural for these neo-arthropods.
Or...go way deeper into the direction you started. Maybe find everything you can on Arthur Ganson or Pat Keck and see how they've used what they do. Both have a similar fine mechanical aspect, but both have gone deeper in terms of range, probably because they've been around longer. Let them recharge your batteries. There was a great show of Pat Keck's weird mechanized figures at the DeCordova not long ago. There were 75 or 80 of these things, many life sized and most did something. All were meticulously made. And all were alluring and spooky at the same time. Arthur Ganson's often relate to aspects of human experience - a machine that sounds like it's breathing, or whatever. Actually, do any of yours include sound? It woudl seem that if the machined legs rubbed against one another there might be a mechanical sounding version of an insect noise?
I have a friend who was a very successful, award winning, children's book author-illustrator for many years, then he hit a block and just couldn't work for quite some time. A couple of years later he bought a MAC computer and a copy of Illustrator. It allowed him to work in the same style he had previously, but the new format opened him right up again for some reason. (Personally I don't think Bezier curves are a particulary comfortable way to draw, but hey, it worked for him.)
Your work is good. It's beautiful. Right now the world needs all the beauty we can come up with. It's your job to make more.

[fritchie]

Keston - I'm no example, because I took up serious sculpture quite late, but the fact is that I originally began sculpting (classes only) the second year in my position as a university chem prof, mainly to give me something completely different to concentrate on. I tried to get suggestions at the time from the sculpture instructors about starting with my own studio, but they were into the “If you don’t do it entirely on your own, it won’t work” sort of philosophy. I put it on the shelf for about 25 years and then began again with classes at an art school.

Don’t wait 25 years; what I am suggesting is that you find something completely different to do in parallel with your sculpture. I always have tried to keep two or more things going simultaneously. They seem to feed each other, and if one hits a slow spot, the other can take over for a while.

Also, I often find that just doing ANYTHING opens new ground. Even if it’s not directly related to what you’re looking for. And, as some above have said, try to get away from searching for the “new”. I think that is a major fault in modern art theory.

[sculptor]

Sam- all very true words. .....
I end up getting so engrossed with the work, and so mired down in the minutae of it all, that I end up having to always compromise the ideas to just get the stuff done- .....
hmmm. the whiskey and bag pipes sound good...

I have one clay that I have reworked atleast 40 times over 15 years, she ain't perfect yet--something about the front of the left thigh-----and only one of her eyes is right....and......

---in my mermaid commission, after a year at it, the guy who commissioned it said to me...."I know you want it perfect....but I want it now!" I began to think it was time to compromise and said " 'nuther 6 weeks" ...I was still working the face as the molding materials were setting up on the back---she ain't perfect....but some folks seem to like her.....and I got paid.....and....maybe... the next one'll be better.....

"But Araich/Nova... is/are right. "Art cannot be"... forced.... "If you're not having fun anymore, quit for a while. You'll be back. You'll see."
and Sam is right too--if you still love it, you can work through the problems....

My figurative sculpting mentor, John Kroll, once said..."if you ain't having fun, stop,you must be doing something wrong"

I took a long break from sculpting (and gave away everything I had done thus far) before I found the figurative mentors...I had thought that the work wasn't saying anything....so I had to stop.....till I found a voice I wanted to use......
some folks think i sing out of key
Then I took a long break to build the house and studio-----and got so depressed without working the clay that I had to start again....tho there is a lot of art in design of simple things like bathroom sinks and I love a lazy s curve in my architectural designs---

back to the pipes----they grab my spirit and fling it into the winds.....and it pulls and tugs at my senses with it's etherial joyous mournfull wail ......there is nothing quite like the sound-o-the pipes echoing down the vale like ghosts in the mists

kestonh------like ricky nelson once sang----"You can't please everyone---you have to please yourself"............

[anne (bxl)]

Hi kentosh
I know this feeling you have. It is so easy to full up a life with autocross and hiking but it doesn't build a life....
So you have at least two alternatives for now. First one is Fritchie suggestion, do something completely different for a while and you will see later on what's going on with art.
Second one is to challenge yourself in art (as you do in sport) by planning an exhibition you cannot cancel. Personnaly I need a bit of pressure to be efficient, maybe are you so?
I like also Araich suggestion : destroy what you have done untill now. I did it once with all the clay pieces I had : I spend two unforgeatable delightfull hours and started with a completely new art language....

[jwebb]

All the good stuff has already been said...except...the only difference between a bagpipe and an onion is that nobody cries when you cut up a bagpipe. --Henny Youngman

...How about a sculpture that cuts up a bagpipe every time you...

[sculptor]

All the good stuff has already been said...except...the only difference between a bagpipe and an onion is that nobody cries when you cut up a bagpipe. --Henny Youngman

...How about a sculpture that cuts up a bagpipe every time you..........................insert one.........into

A giant, grotesque version of a vegematic ...that is strangely riminiscent of the black and tan's riot squads.....with smoke and a loud clanging and whirring sound. It slices it dices it makes julian fries.......
.....
...and the directions read "attach bagpipe to the end of a very long pole, cautiously approach machine and insert bagpipe" ...then we hear a tremendous screeching noise and an intonation of the riot act.
then
"run away"
"run away"
or................................................ ......................................
a giant version of the Osiris head-(see pix)--alternately emitting the sounds of an out of tune bagpipe and inviting the observer to donate used bagpipes to the homeless............

or................................................ ........................................
(how can you tell when a bagpipe is out of tune?)

[obseq]

Keston,

If you are having problems with how to tackle a work in progress, the best advice I can give is to completely remove yourself from it. I've found that having the luxury of revisiting a work at a later date is always quite helpful.

Look at other art,objects,textures,smells--anything sensory.

Get a sketch pad and doodle with nothing in mind.

Good luck!

[sculptorsam]

I'm really liking this thread...

I had a slow time for a few months just before last year. Then one day as I was milling around in the shop, I wrote on the wall, "This Winter is Pivotal." I had a crazy idea for a new series and just started making a sculpture. After that one, I started another one, and another. They each took me about a month to make but I just hit the work hard and kept on going. That momentum is still carrying me nearly 18 months later.

I disagree that you have to be having fun though. If this is your profession/vocation, I think fun is beside the point to a certain degree. I'm looking for something beyond fun.

But I like JAZ's idea to go big. I think your high standards for work has the potential to be a great asset for you. You just need to find a way to finish them and move on to the next, inevitably-unsatisfying work. But each one better than the last. Equal parts humor, fatalism and idealism should serve you well.

Good luck,

Sam

[sculptor]

I'm really liking this thread...

... I was milling around in the shop, ...I had a crazy idea for a new series and just started making a sculpture. After that one, I started another one, and another. ....momentum is still carrying me nearly 18 months later. :)

I disagree that you have to be having fun though. If this is your profession/vocation, I think fun is beside the point to a certain degree. I'm looking for something beyond fun.

.... But each one better than the last. Equal parts humor, fatalism and idealism should serve you well.

Good luck,

Sam


¿perhaps John meant the kind of adult craftsman fun you feel when confident that your skill and talent can achieve your vision? and the joy of seeing it happen? When I first listened to his words, I dismissed them--but remembered, so I shared.

As you may have noticed inthe "lend me your eyes" thread, I often slug my way through a lot of self doubt, anxiety, uncertainty, etc. to make a deadline.
Maybe that's just a tad more fun than a rumble in a biker bar, but that's part of the profession--
--if we stay with it we find the :) above.

That's when it sings.

.........

[kestonh]

Equal parts humor, fatalism and idealism should serve you well

I think this one needs to go on the wall.

I'm still sitting back and watching this thread go- I'm formulating some replies. thank you all for all the input- it's really good stuff.

[warren01]

kestonh, you have some very detailed and intricate pieces. The detail in them seems like it is something that takes careful planning and designing. So my thoughts are, are you more afraid of the labor to build something? You know, damn it is was so hard to build type question. Or I just do not feel like working that hard again. Instead of I am in a creative rut.

From some past experiences I have found that I have made things that take for ever and ever and the technique was new and I enjoyed doing the new technique. But then I have said to myself I will never make another one because it was so labor intensive.

So my suggestion is cruise the local junk yard or dump and pick up some scraps. Take the scraps and make something very simple. Something you can get done in a day. Don't try to make it a masterpiece, just have fun and don't burn yourself out by working on it for hours and hours and hours.

warren

[Gdog]

wats up everyone, can't wait to get back into the groove aaay? I,ve gotta run, however I'll be back in on this one[ goi'n to watch my boy play some volleyball.] this is a great subject, I remember Roy had a simular ? [ I'm concerned there, have'nt heard from the chap lately, hope he's alright] Wow! I can't believe the changes to the sight. see ya! Gdog!

[Gdog]

I'd love to say that I'm eternally optimistic,and that I ride the crest of every day, however it's not true and I accept that along the way there's gonna be doldrums. Six months is a pretty good spell,apparently on the surface that is. ' you cannot travel within and stand still without[ the good news is that it's gnaw'in at ya] consider it the calm before the storm so to speak. [germination] I would consider myself an otter [ I like to explore and at this point without direction, however I am confident!] when things don't seem to be click'in on the outside, I try to feed the inside, stoke the ole fire so to speak! Perception's a funny thing, how we identify with who we are and what we do, is actually fragile at times[ the old hapless mystic,prophesying half mad in the infinitude of his own thought,] I've been captivated by melting aluminum lately [go figure, but it's fun!] next is brass and bronze and I'll use the old try fail and adjust method and then I'll incorporate it in my work with stone[ "familiarity breeds indifference"] do something different. We've all had to peel ourselves out of reality to go and create,more than we'd like to admit, you are not alone.Press on!!

two things motivate all of us "the fear of loss and the expectancy of gain"
"A live dog is better than a dead lion" Alexander Calder would love to be in your shoes " first day of the rest of your life and what not " Journey of a thousand miles " the sweet would not be so sweet without the sour" How could we ever appreciate the oasis without crawling through the desert?, Embrace solitude and relish being on the fringe of the fringe, and yet maintain composure and remaining an upstanding citizen considerate to all, obedient to the call from within, if it's there,and you know it is.Keeping in mind " We are what we contemplate" " what we think about,we bring about" "Our inmost will become our outmost".

How about being ticked off, wheeeww! Look out [ and I mean quiet harnessed anger, no better way to blow off some steam, ya know?]

Rod had the best advice as far as sharpening some tools, cleanig up n such, association with our work can only cultivate some action.

Reading, however is my elixer. "Books are only for to inspire" All it takes is that one statement! And Bam! your off!

Sometimes when I'm sprawled out on the couch,I think"the woods are lovely dark and deep,but I've got promises to keep,and miles to go before I sleep,and miles to go before I sleep."

I think we're more alike than we are different, like I said tour not alone ,you just sometimes have to pump the pump! goodluck! anyhow. Gdog.

[sculptorsam]

Equal parts humor, fatalism and idealism should serve you well

I think this one needs to go on the wall.

I'm still sitting back and watching this thread go- I'm formulating some replies. thank you all for all the input- it's really good stuff.

A while back when I was feeling frustrated, I took a marker and wrote on my shop wall, "The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good."

That got me going a bit. Re-oriented my perspective.

Maybe it will help for you as well.

Sam

[kaidu]

Kill your TV.

I can really empathize with you. 15 years ago I went into an abyss(rut is too gentle a trem) It took some serious effort to get rolling again after such a long break. I can say, that if you really feel that creating is your path, then repressing it will haunt you in the future.
The comments about cleaning up and trying something new, ring true to me. That pretty much how I started my current track. I got frustrated making functional ceramic objects and now am focusing on sculpture. Once I made that change, the inertia took over and now I have many more ideas than I have time.

[Easynow]

To be honest, I didn't read the whole string yet (in case I'm redundant)...I've had the same problem and it may be you are too uptight to function and too hard on yourself. Your process appears to be very precise and restrained. It feels more tense to me than "Zen". The expression of lifelike qualities you create seems opposed sometimes by rigid structure. That can be a beautiful thing- and I see it in your work, but maybe you are held up by your own rules on making art. I think parallel to your standard way of doing things, you should try a few "experiments" that are different. Try approaching building in a loose and free, almost sloppy way- forget the milling machine for a day. Sometimes the solution to a problem is to change to a new problem that has an answer you can find. Rather than thinking in a linear fashion "problem requires solution", understand it's your universe. Materials impose certain expectations on people as well. "Metal MUST be shiny and smooth". Maybe experiment with something outside of your comfort zone. None of this has to result in a work of art, but it might bring PLAY back to you. Best wishes.

[kestonh]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I'm going to try the "fresh start" approach to getting out of the rut
I'm in the middle of moving- so I've been going through all the detritus that has been following me for so long, and recyling/disposing of it. I figure a new space with no old work hovering about (it can go in one of the outbuildings) should allow me to just start working at something new.

[icreate]

Kestonh,

I would love to respond and am glad that you have posted. Please also answer my post Creativity Friend or Foe?

Personally for me….
Most of my work comes from commissions. When they come they come hot and heavy and when they are not there I am grateful for not having the pressure. Most of my work is dictated, in part, by the needs of my clients. I have a few pieces that I have started of my own but never seem to get to. It is getting harder for me to get to the studio, because … I love my yard…. My husband prefers I don’t work there late at night (that will be remedied soon as I am building in our back yard). And I am having a mold problem there that I believe is effecting my health. However… I love to market. It was my background and I love to write. So when I am not doing one I am doing another. and gardening, and I took up Tai chi. So as some have suggested, it might also be good to step away.

Here are some other suggestions.

Making lists- I seem to forget things if they are not written down. Even things I am very passionate about seem to get lost in the daily grind.

WIP- Work In Progress reports. Alittle more than the above. My husband and I try to wip often. It helps to keep us focused and accountable. Fear is a huge factor. Taking simple steps to go past the fear is important. Not art related but 3 years ago I decided I wanted to write more so I called this local paper and asked them if I could contribute. I was terrified and the first time I called and there was no answer I actually said " see, yes I called, I did my part there was no answer." I could have let myself get away with it, but I called again. Today and many articles later I can hardly believe that I was so terrified. My husband watched what I did; he took that same motivation and called a publisher suggesting an art book. That was two years ago, today he just finished his second book.

If you don’t have someone to wip with, pull together a few people, creative friends, or those aspiring to be creative and hold weekly or monthly meetings. We do this with a writers group.

PLAN FOR YOUR PONY
http://www.creativesculpture.com/pony.html I am embarrassed to say that the newsletter section of my web site needs updating. If I could find a program that helps me to manage the mailing list server, (I’m searching) I will be posting regular newsletters. But here is one I wrote about planning for your pony. Start hanging with pony keepers. It is a great way to get inspiration

CREATIVE DINNER PARTY
We have started these creative dinner parties. Invite a couple of art type people. Ask each of them to bring a guest, the key is they must perform or who for their dinner. Tell them they can bring artwork brochures etc to show. Set the art in the living room and visit. You can do this potluck or more intimately as a dinner party. Give each person time to tell about themselves as you eat dinner, afterwards each can talk about their art. This is so much fun. Be warned the last one we had was 8 people .we started at 7 and had to go to 1:00 am to let everyone speak. Of course we also invite musicians etc. So there is often entertainment as well as art.

I have more suggestions, but then maybe you will have to wait until the book that I am writing comes out. Hope this helps.

Bridgette

[kestonh]

Bridgette-

I saw "Creativity- friend or foe" and my eyes lit up-

That's a lot to digest, life's fairly insane these next two weeks as moving day is fast approaching- I'll dig deep into the link you posted after that.


BTW- the easiest free mailing list software I've found is Dada Mail (http://mojo.skazat.com/). best of all- it's free.