Author: Cheryl

I discovered this principle in Grade 9 while learning to play in the high school Junior Band. When you really love a piece of music, by the time you’ve practiced it enough times to play it really well, that initial passion can be growing a bit dim. In order to keep that spark glowing, I learned to concentrate hard on what I first loved about the music, in order to try to express that on the 500th rendition. The very same principle can be applied to painting. When you are first attracted to a subject or even an abstract idea, the excitement is high. Then comes the discipline of trying to express that with paint, and the truth is, sometimes that’s just hard work. So the suggestion is: pay attention to what got the spark of passion glowing in the first place. Hold that thought close as you work. The hope is that this glow will guide you through the creative process, and even catch fire in some viewer’s heart when they see your finished work. Shine on! 

They call it “incubation”. This is an often crucial stage in any creative process. It is means allowing time for your subconscious to work on a solution for your latest creative conundrum. Sleep on it as they say – figuratively or literally. Go do something else. Let your mind relax, daydream. Many very creative and highly successful people have their most profound thoughts and solutions happen this way. As diverse a group as: John Cleese, while writing comedy sketches for Faulty Towers, Henri Poincare, who pioneered discoveries in mathematics, physics, and engineering in the late 1800’s, and the famous inventor Thomas Edison, – all were aware of the importance of incubation time in order to be more creative. In order to tap into the subconscious mind, Edison would work hard on a problem, and then purposely doze off in a chair holding a ball bearing in each hand. On the floor below each hand was a tin plate. When he fell asleep and the noise woke him, he quickly jotted down any new thoughts. Many of his problems with inventions were solved this way. Considering that only a tiny amount of our daily input is processed consciously, it makes tremendous sense to tap into the huge resources available in our unconscious thought.