Happy accidents.
“No, fuck it, it’s over”
The thing that people don’t really think about when it comes to being an artist is that the artist exerts a lot of control while creating.
Control over our chosen medium, control over the visual representation of our subject matter, and control over our own imaginations. It never really appears that way but in truth we control almost the entire process of creating art.
There are of course, glorious moments of complete chaos where by seemingly random events, we lose control of what is happening with our product.
I had just completed 2 sketches of my “whale ships” and placed them on the floor next to my night stand. I had lost track of the time and was late for work. I distinctly remember placing my coffee cup on the nightstand as I hurried out the door.
It just so happened that that was the one morning Garrick, (my hubby) decided to make the bed. While tossing the comforter, the corner had nicked the coffee cup and it landed all of its contents on my freshly sketched whales. Garrick was mortified.
That evening when I came home I noticed both sketches laid out on the floor crinkled and very much not in the place I had left them.
When I asked him what happened he sheepishly explained how he spilled coffee on my art. As I stood there looking at the sketches that now had light brown splatters across them, I couldn’t help but be pleased with how the contrast added to the motion of the whale. I liked it. I liked it a lot.
As you can see, it was a happy accident. Now I actually throw coffee on my sketches to get the same effect. Adaptability offers new perspectives, and new perspectives feed creativity.
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