The Art of Creating a Mess   

Make it, like it, do a little, wreck it, fix it. Sometimes this is repeated many times before the piece sings. Serena Barton

Trying to make things “pretty” or “beautiful” can be deadly to the creative process. There’s a gifted child inside all of us that wants to make messes. It’s out of those messes that wonderful things happen. Manure doesn’t smell nice but it makes delicious vegetables. I remember my art professor, David Maclagan, saying that everything beautiful has an element of ugliness in it. That struck me as very strange since art and beauty are so closely allied in my mind. After hearing that comment I paid more attention to works of art and tried to see what he was talking about. I began to see how artists like Rembrandt and DaVinci use dark colors to give depth. Rubens’ lovely ladies are rounded on all corners, dimpled and fleshy. Not exactly "top model" material - but they are alive.

Top model Tyra Banks talks about the unique quirks that make a model stand out. Oftentimes they are qualities that were criticized or mocked when that model was a child. Hmm, that makes me think of those parts of me that I’ve learned to reject and scorn. They may not be pretty but they do make me unique, and alive.

When I took my first encaustic class with Serena Barton I had a chance to learn firsthand how to work with my inner critic, who demands perfection (like that’s gonna happen) and my inner child, who loves to make messes. Encaustic has always intrigued me – there’s something about its layered luminescence that is so beautiful and interesting. Serena was a great teacher who encouraged each of us to play with the materials. The first piece came together easily, like a gift from the muse to get me started. It was subtle, with gentle colors and aged images. If you look closely you can see her eyes looking at the man in the stamp. Her lover perhaps?

I wanted to do another one with more color and life. Something a little more relaxed than my first one, which I created with the controlling nervousness of a beginner. I was hungry for it after watching people around me create with such abandon. I wanted this piece to be abstract and random and uncontrolled. I swished on a rainbow of different colors that attracted me. Didn’t like that green, at all. And there were all kinds of pits, bubbles, and lumpy spots on the board. I kept trying to smooth things out but it wasn’t going to happen. Serena said the bubbles are to be expected. What about the lumps? Everyone else’s seemed to be smoother. Well, I might as well work with it rather than trying to “defeat” it or perfect it. So I started to carve it and poke at it and besides being cathartic, interesting things began to happen. Colors became layered and the green became interesting instead of annoying, I liked the texture that was developing. It was almost like sculpting in wax.

So, the moral of the story? This is what I learned from the experience:

Don’t give up – If that inner voice (aka “The Critic”) isn’t satisfied, that’s okay. That means there’s something more you're wanting. It isn’t quite there yet. Keep at it. If you keep at it and it’s still frustrating it might be time to set it aside for a bit (hour, day, month, year). You can return to it with fresh eyes, new skills, and some more enthusiasm.

Loosen up—Be playful. Give your inner child space to enjoy herself. Give your inner adult a chance to relax.

Let go—Sounds like a sermon but it’s very appropriate to the creative process. That can mean letting go to the spiritual, however you define it. Or it can mean letting go to your inner muse, your inner child, or your unconscious. The most important thing is to let go of one’s agenda (smooth, pretty, perfect, pleasing to someone like a friend or buyer). Each piece has its own way of being, like a child. If you let go then it can become what it wants to be. And that's a good thing.

 Make messes—Go for it. Muck around in colors, textures, materials. Let a mess happen and work (play) with it. Making a mess can be an end in itself, which is good practice, or it can be a seed bed for your project. When you feel some tension inside because it is not measuring up to your expectations, take a deep breath, stand back, and look at it with a curious eye. Watch for the nugget of gold in it: Where is the energy in your piece? Where does your eye gravitate to? Is there an interesting combination of colors or textures? When you find something unexpected that you like, build on it until you're satisfied, until you can feel it "sing".

It is good—Don't forget to stand back and appreciate your creation. You did it! You created something new. You gave yourself an opportunity for creative expression. You practiced a skill. You nourished your inner muse.

The Possible's slow fuse is lit

By the Imagination.  ~Emily Dickinson

Images: Rubens, "Three Graces" and Rembrandt, "A Rabbi"