Just a thought: does it take isolation to create true, unique pieces of art?
I've always wondered where inspiration comes from, you know, for those amazing masterpieces that we conjure up when we think of something great. Do you have to be irrational and radical to create something that challenges and stands out above the rest? Or come from, say, the Netherlands?
I mean, hey, I wouldn't mind moving to Iceland if that means that I'll come up with some crazy sick ideas and create something original. But is that what it takes?
Sometimes I think my mind is too simple and constrained. I get so jealous of the geniuses who can break bounds, but in a way that seems natural and authentic. Every effort I make seems too forced.
Someone fly me North and isolate me. Let's see how crazy things get.
Certain people are just more creative than others by birth. Isolation creates a unique opportunity for realizing creative thoughts as there are far less distractions from doing so. This doesn't mean that putting yourself in isolation won't help you find these thoughts or produce new ones, I just don't think that you can isolate just anyone and automatically expect them to produce something. More than likely they would go insane.
ReplyDeleteIsolation also takes away procrastination.
I think Bon Iver is a good example. He has done creative things all his life, but when hitting a huge life crisis, he locked himself away in a Wisconsin cabin and wrote the first Bon Iver cd in just a few months with critical acclaim.
Haha, very thoughtful response. I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteBut I also want to add that I think it's healthy (and maybe recommended) that everyone go through a period of isolation at some point, especially during the peak years of, say, the 20s? You may not be distracted from the outside, but it forces you to come face to face with your biggest adversary: yourself.
It's impossible to say exactly where creativity comes from, but I do think that with a little probing, everyone can find that they are creative in their own right. Dedication, passion, I think those are the biggest factors that determine how far you can get.
I'll come with you to Iceland.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both these comments. For me, when I am alone, my mind is free from the distractions of everyday life so it is easier to be creative and inspired. Getting to the root of things, really turning them over in my mind, examining every facet of a thought from what I've found, is how some of the most creative and original things are created, and being away from the constant stimulation of external forces helps with going deeper into yourself.
Im liking the new blog girlie!
A poetry professor at JMU told us that the "genius" poets don't just get struck by the perfect thing to say out of thin air. They have to work at it - brainstorm, free write, write, edit, rewrite - just as much as we do.
ReplyDeleteSo while it feels like we're lame-o when they have a published poem in a book and we have some gross looking words on a torn-out piece of notebooks, we're really in good company :)
It all just takes time - where do we find that though? Yeesh ;)
Funny I've been thinking about this a lot. I think the benefit of isolation is having a pure sense of self, without the 'distractions' but also without the influences of the outside world and people with their own agendas. I think there's a lot of good in the world, but I also think there's a lot of self-doubt that unfortunately materializes as critisicm of others. Isolation makes it so much easier to create and be uninhibited in your ideas, especially when you aren't standing firmly on your feet and haven't solidified your own style quite yet, but criticism is a useful thing to have around to force you to find strength in yourself and confidence in your ideas, if you use it as a tool and stand up to it.
ReplyDeleteWhile the best pieces of literature and art have come from years of planning and re-working, I think it really stems from a desire to create something that's as close to your mind's image as possible, which never will be possible. So as your ideas and perspectives develop, your creations necessarily change. Nothing will ever be perfect, despite every attempt to make it so. So I guess what makes a true artist is knowing when to end the piece and let it take its place in the art world and when to move on to another attempt to express the inexpressible.
I need my own blog, got me of on a tangent I'm going to stop now. Thanks for getting me thinking :)