Do you ever talk to yourself while working in your studio?  I do. I've found it to be one of the best ways to figure out just what I need to do with a piece to make it all come together.  Last month, Robert Genn addresses this topic in his bi-weekly free newsletter in answer to a question posed by a reader.  I've copied the letter below (permission has been given). 
Mr. Genn is discussing this topic from a painter's perspective (no pun intended), but he raises an interesting point.  Does one need to speak 'out loud' or even should one? Does this limit one's ability to solve a certain problem in one's work? 
While I have always believed that speaking negatively to one's self isn't helpful, I do think that one can wrestle with a design problem by discussing the issue out loud either with myself or my husband. Sometimes putting it into words allows the solution to pop right out. It is as if all my thoughts need to coalesce into speech in order to find a solution.  Conversely, sometimes not thinking at all (as one can do in the shower or while doing mindless tasks) is often the best way to have an idea or solution appear, as if by magic.  In this, I agree with Mr. Genn - the creative brain is above the verbal one.

I've included a link to Mr. Genn's free bi-weekly newsletter at the bottom of this post.  I recommend checking it out. There are back issues of newsletter to read and interesting topics to consider, along with access to a wealth of quotable quotes.  It is artistically stimulating to receive Mr. Genn's newsletters each week.  Sign up and you'll see why!

Happy Creating,
Monica

 

October 19, 2012

 

Dear Monica,

Yesterday, Jeanette Obbink of Burlington, Ontario wrote, "Is it helpful to talk through a problem in a painting--as in out loud, with or without suggestions from others--fellow artists or not? I like to ramble. I've found it helps me to verbalize problems, halfway-dilemmas and stuckness. It gives me keys to the next steps. Feels odd, but it seems to work. Am I alone in this?"

Thanks, Jeanette. You're definitely not alone. Talking things out is certainly a ploy, and a popular one, but it has problems that visual artists need to be aware of. Words--spoken or written--have a way of making rigid that which needs to be exploratory and free. Words are small straitjackets when put around creative flourishes and maneuverings.

As every demo-doer knows, verbalizing aloud can be difficult, even though we all know it's a most valuable educational tool. Many demonstrators also find that "talking demos" produce what they consider substandard work. Attempting to verbalize often mysterious brain routings is the cause.

In the real world of creative artists, care needs to be taken. Out loud, blow by blow mind-change explanations should be left to the politicians. When artists need to ask the "What could be?" question, or about colour or composition, it's not necessary to ask out loud.

Because of our internal sense of morality, we tend to want to honour our "word." I noticed this problem years ago and devised a system to overcome it. I've passed it on to other painters who swear by it. Instead of talking about what might be wrong with something, you need to sit back from the work and silently make a series of mental notes to do this and that, to get rid of this and that. When the artist moves back to the easel, some of the mental notes get executed, and those that do not are handily filtered and defeated without a word being uttered.

The creative brain needs to be above the verbal one. The artist's brain needs to work like that of a centipede. As it turns out, a centipede has a complex nervous system and practically no brain at all. And yet it moves its hundred legs in flow and harmony. Watching a centipede walk around is delightful. If a centipede stopped to talk about which leg to move next, it would certainly stumble.

Best regards,

Robert

 

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