Tap tap tap.
This week has been a little strange, as I've found myself caught in a strange malaise of unknown origin. Maybe it's because I've been focusing on doing more writing and have plotted out a few stories that bring about some interesting thought patterns.
As this is meant to be about creativity though, let's stick to that side of life, which includes writing more and more these days. In fact, I've kind of lost interest in a couple of things I used to enjoy, because the focus has shifted somewhat. I suppose my sub-conscious has been spending more time working out the mechanics of different stories, which takes up a fair bit of time.
It's an interesting aspect of creativity that I haven't really teased out before. Whether it's painting, drawing, or writing, I usually spend a decent amount of time thinking about things before ever producing the first mark. These weekly doodles are an exception, as they're completely spontaneous, with references often filling in for any actual planning.
For instance, four of the doodles this week are characters from the game Stories: The Path Of Destinies, which I finished the other day. The art throughout the game is beautiful and uses a very cartoony character design, which I spent five minutes copying for the characters you see here. Hence, this is not an example of prior planning, but using references in place of planning.
I guess that's why references are so useful, as you don't have to spend time thinking about the piece. Although, maybe it's just something I take a long time to think about, and perhaps that's a flaw in my own skill set. Either way though, there's usually a period leading up to each project that seems a bit un-productive, as it covers an important "thinking" stage.
It's always hard to explain, as there's often little to show for it. What's more, the thinking phase can overlap the making phase of something else. When I'm making something, I tend to day dream a lot towards the end. It doesn't shift focus at all, but there's a certain point where all you're doing is finishing off the marks on the page and there's nothing else to plan. At that point, it's like the brain opens up for the next project and begins the process of planning what's next.
What I've learned recently, is that this entire process is amplified a bunch when it comes to writing stories. I spend a lot of time thinking about stories and how they could be told. It's not so much about the words to use, but the mood and the progression of events that will lead to the desired conclusion.
Stories are all about the conclusion for me, even though getting there is where the art is doing its work. It's almost as if everything about a story is built to get you to a certain conclusion, and to leave the reader with an impression or a vibe that's intentional and carefully concocted. Without every page existing to bring context and reference, the final act would lose its meaning and be without purpose.
To this end, the logic puzzle of figuring out how to get to the end is something I find exceedingly fun to tease out. So I spend a lot of time thinking about stories and figuring out what's being said, and how to say it. Of course, I have no idea if I possess the required skills to successfully bring these stories to fruition, but I'm super on board for having a go.
I often say that creativity is more about the process than the product, which I continue to maintain. However, it might sound weird to then lean on conclusions so much when it comes to stories, but it's not like that at all. The importance of a conclusion to a story (for me), is that it provides a scope, within which the puzzle of filling in the gaps can be held. The process of figuring all of this out and accurately creating all the moving parts to a complete story, is all part of the overall creative process.
Hopefully that makes sense, but it doesn't make much difference to the initial thinking period, which can be significant for creating stories. I mean, drawings and pictures have always been a bit more fluid in their creation for me. Even though I might plan a painting in advance, the actual results and appearance will change and mould itself throughout its creation.
While the same is true for writing; I feel like I spend more time planning things out because in a lot of ways its more complex than a picture. Or perhaps it's more precise, in that every word and sentence needs to be driving the story forward in context and progression. I prefer visual art to be a lot more open for interpretation and fluid in its meaning. I often find myself trying to paint without meaning, while my motivation for telling stories is entirely focused on learning from the morals and lessons of the tale.
I suppose the point of all this is that I've found it exciting and interesting to spend some energy on another form of art. I've always loved reading and writing (I read English at uni after all), but never had the motivation to really set anything in motion.
In fact one of the stories I've been thinking about is all about putting things in motion, which might say a lot about my current state of mind. One of the problems with a fascination for existential conundrums is that one often finds one's self in a position of complete existential confusion.
Adrift on the tides of creation, we tap tap tap away.