the creative spot
Go on, make things for the sheer joy of it.
Creativity doesn't require talent. Only the smallest beginning.
The Creative Process
This is my version of a popular sequence of marks drawn by Brendan Dawes. It is his illustration of the creative process: a messy start ~ followed by stages of simplification and refinement until the final piece is produced. Do read more about Brendan and his work!
When we look at this sequence of marks with different eyes ~ it can also express something quite different, quite personal. That first dense tangle might be the mind on a busy day ~ overloaded, full of circling thoughts, noise without resolution. The slow unwinding that follows, stage by stage, is what can happen when we sit down to make something with our hands, without an agenda. Drawing, painting, doodling, knitting, carving ~ making things by hand has a way of untangling us.
The circle at the end is more than a resolved idea. Through the simple act of making, we can find a a calmer mind. Give out thoughts space and peace to roam freely. The circle is quite a special shape, read this article on circles, the continuous line, and the quiet they carry →
Take a little colour break
And then there’s colour... Another way to unwind. Allow yourself a moment of play. There’s no purpose to this colour play beyond the pleasure of watching shades wander. Only a moment to switch off your mind. Watch the colours morph gently or swoosh them around with your cursor.
Tap the full stop key twice to save what you see as an image.
Move across the shifting colours and let them swirl, scatter, or settle. It’s a tiny pause for the mind, a way to enjoy colour for its own sake. If you happen upon a mix you love, you can save it by tapping the full stop key twice, but there’s no need to keep anything at all. This is simply a place to let your mind rest and drift.