Do I Control My Creativity Or Does It Control Me?

i think the first thing you should do is concentrate on that "photo shoot" your going to do and worry after that.

beyond that make what you want to make. i think you should avoid lions, because you have enough of those. but i would just concentrate on whatever you feel, feels right to you.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

There's no formula, and over-analysis kills just about every mood and muse I can think of. Art is only good if you make it because you're moved to do so. Keep your camera with you, and respond to how life unfolds.

Again, I am faced with the choice of what to put my energy into. Like what subject matter? Is it whatever comes across my path, or do I actually have an intent? Is there a subject matter that I aught to pursue? Do I control my creativity or does it control me?

Who really cares but you? Most of us have enough issues finding out what makes ourselves tick without worrying about what makes you do. There is not way on earth that anyone can answer this. Apart from about themselves

Disclaimer... written as an artist member of the site and not wearing the blue uniform of super woman

well said, Abbie.....is this going to be another all-about-Bill thread?

I agree with Cynthia and Abbie. So nice to have you join in as an artist Abbie

Marlene,

"..is this going to be another all-about-Bill thread?"

Well of course. And I'll bet we're only moments away from a post about some incredible feat or award that no other human could possibly ever do or imagine.

*slaps down $10*

Perhaps your answer (Cynthia) is the best. First answer anyway..lol.

i thought mary was your muse, your source of inspiration... did you use her up on that lion butterfly image?


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

You are a creative person so don't stress. I think that often if you worry about it too much it just stagnates the work. To me the secret is just keep working and whatever or wherever your art takes you is where you are ment to go.

I suppose one thing I have learned is that you do best when you pursue subjects that you are interested in and hopefully others will share your interests....be it lions, landscapes or junk. But is doing what comes along really creativity? Even the best muse can only inspire you to keep doing, but not to provide what to do.

Ah, your financial situation has lightened up , and you now have this really great camera.
Too much "potential " can be damning.

Feels like an obligation, instead of a creation.

Take your shoes off and go barefoot for a walk in the woods. Just be Bill.

Best advice yet Janine. You ROCK!!!

are you making this for you?
for mary?
for us?
for strangers?

that should be the focus.



if you are a genuine creative person, you will create no matter what. you won't be able to not create, it usually doesn't stop. its sort of like a tank filling up, eventually it over flows. and whether you use that energy to create art, learn a new language or simply make up stories, that's where it goes.

and what you do doesn't matter, it will come out one way or another.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Thanks Bill. Thumbs up.

I feel a Def leppard song coming on.

Just remember to be you, & don't allow the trappings of success to define (limit) you.

Thanks Janine.

Mike, I am just speaking in general here....no specifics. And about that photo shoot....the think is that I don't need to make any money. I am basically a millionaire now (but with the good sense not to think like one). I just spent my B-Day money on ordering a friend a new computer.

What we do DOES matter. It speaks to the world of who we are and what we are here for.

and....we're off and running!!

your sense of money really does fluctuate a lot here doesn't it?

when it was your money, you couldn't pay the bills.
when its mary's money you spent it on yourself, friends and anyone else.

and wait, you got birthday money - like a kid? she couldn't figure out what to get you? wasn't that camera a birthday gift?

that photo shoot is all you talked about, how you were going to dominate with a 4 year old camera and make a ton of money. and now that you have the camera, now the shoot isn't that important. its not about the money, when it was, because you mentioned some guy thing about making money and paying non existent bills.

and sorry your not basically a millionaire unless your legally married, and pay taxes with her. anyway, most people here don't need to constantly ask what to make, what creativity is, and so on. they just do it instinctively.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Yes we are Marlene.

Now Mike, you think that Lions are overdone, but I have to tell you that my lion works are what people know me by. They are the works which are in more You Tube videos than anything else of mine.

Mike what is with the B-Day thing? Didn't you ever get B-Day presents from anyone?

Mary and I have an agreement...what is mine is hers and what is hers is up to her to do what she wills. Being marriage in whatever country is considered "legal" has nothing to do with any relationship. As a matter of fact that is why most these days sign a prenuptial, which we didn't. But that is all our business...right?

Do you live near an animal shelter? You could use your creativity to photograph some of those "little lions" to help them find homes.

I think I'll go warm up my voice...Bill, you are my inspiration to sing...
"me,me,me,me,me"

Who's putting your work into YouTube videos, Bill? I find that an odd statement. The YT video creator has to own all content in their videos, or have permission to use the content.

you have no need to defend yourself bill. you can make anything you want. but i think it stifles creativity if you always use the same thing as a go to item. you don't want to fall into a typecasted position where you are always the lion in the sky guy and not the guy who makes religious stuff.

i'm known through my styling and eye for detail. i would rather be remembered for that. but for you, since your still looking for that masterpiece, which i'm certain that's what this thread is about. a lion won't cut it. only a honey badger will.... kidding.

in any case, if you want to spark creativity you have to go outside what you normally make and do something else. the very fact you are questioning it, means you lost it. or it would already be there ready for you. so i suggest to get away from lions, and study the fine works of gazelle's. and see what you can come up with there.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Joy, as I understand it, as long as no one is making money off the video, they can put whatever images they want. I have found several really good videos on that have my lion works in them. A few even use that as their main ad pic.

Mike, I have pet deer, what do I need gazelles for? And you indeed do have an eye for detail. A very good eye.

if i was married bill, a wife would be expect to give some kind of physical gift to show they put some time and thought into it. my grandmother, mother, aunt etc - gave birthday checks. if your getting a check from your wife, that's not a gift, that's an allowance.

you didn't need a pre-nup because you have no money and chances are she can afford the lawyer to keep the rest of hers if something goes bad. mostly your spending her money, not your money. if you got money from that shoot - would you spend it on someone else? i'm thinking no. but who cares...


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I believe that creativity controls the artist. The artist does not control the creativity.

Creativity is a string, You can't push a string. You can pull it, and it can pull you.

To be fair. I have never experienced "Writer's block." I have sat in front of a blank page with absolutely nothing to say to it. But then I think of Nabokov, standing there at his writing table, every day, looking out the same window and writing 20 pages of landscape before he started writing whatever he was working on. (At least that is the legend that I have been told, I never checked it on Snopes) For myself I just start writing. Babbling (can't ya tell) and rambling and from somewhere a line of thought emerges. A string that I can grab onto, and either I pull it or it pulls me.

Often times it turns out that the ramblings and babblings somehow have laid the groundwork for a key plot twist that I had no idea was on its way (which would tell me that maybe the babbling wasn't so random after all.)

I've been there with paint as well. Dabbling and dragging colors seemingly randomly across the white until... the concept of the image emerges.

I do the same thing with photography. I sit and play with the image until a new image emerges that might or might not have anything to do with the source piece.

This is why I believe that creativity controls the artist.

What that means to Bill Stephens, I can't say. As Abbie said (which each of us thought when we first looked at the topic and didn't want to say for all of our own reasons) I can't know what is going on in Bill's life.

Nor do I particularly know what it is like to have an assignment (in art) and have to process that into an action. But that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Bill: " I want to do ________"

Forum: "Here's how you do ________"

Bill: "Never mind I don't really need to do _______ because I'm a zillionaire now"

Cynthia, I see where you are coming from! Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake but I'd have to say, you nailed it earlier! Time has demonstrated It!

Ok, so I don't get to do whatever I want, I am SUPPOSE to do what everyone else does? Why start now?

Mike we are a money driven society and I really never cared for that. This is why I give my work away instead of trying to SQUEEZE out of everyone every penny.

This brings up a good point Cynthia. If someone actually WAS rich, would they do the kind of ART that not so rich people do?

@cynthia, spot on.

its like - i have a question, we answer, he says, no that's not keep trying, bill waves his hands getting attention. we ignore. we answer again. he get up on the table and starts jumping. we all pay attention to him. and he's like -never mind, i wasn't really listening to your answers. we go on about the topic on our own for a while, its actually pretty interesting. bill has something else to do more important, leaves for a few days, the conversation becomes deep and meaningful again, everyone enjoys it. bill is back, on the table with lights this time waving again, new idea stop talking about the topic and look at me. we ignore and talk about other things again.... things like - donuts, ice cream, candy in a candy store... all things that a creative mind goes crazy about deciding what is best.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

bill all you have ever spoken about is the money you lack, the money you crave. when your not selling your sad and want to sell, then you get attention and you don't care about selling you just want people to like the art. you intro'd mary by telling us she was some kind of super agent. you were even going to send her over to me- remember that?

then you married her and got all the money you could ask for.

then your plan never went into action and all those rich people you were going to hang out with - i guess that never happened in reality. and you wanted to sell via some kind of super agent that isn't mary, despite all those connections she has. and now your want to give it away.

choose which one you want. because you will probably find an agent a lot easier, if you tell them its ok to keep ALL of the profit.

---
"If someone actually WAS rich, would they do the kind of ART that not so rich people do?"

this feels like a puzzle a Sphinx would ask.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

"if your going to give the art away - then do it. that's probably the easiest thing you can do." Mike

What an excellent point! For an artist who wants to communicate with their art to the masses it should be free like air!
In a way, FAA does provide that service. It is free to communicate with one's art.

my suggestion is - go to your church/synagogue/mosque and donate the art to it or them, or where ever you go. donate it and people may worship it. that's all i can say here really.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I don't think any of those places excepts idolatry Mike. Bill can try though! I'm not sure this aspect crosses over into religion though. Enough said but good idea!

its worth a shot. i mean if 6 people said - wow that's great keep painting, maybe one of those places will display it. one of the pieces do anyway. maybe a local zoo will accept the lion pictures. lots of people go to the zoo. imagine all the people saying things about the lion pictures?


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

What about custard doughnuts. Do you get those?

we call them cream filled, or boston cream if it has chocolate on top. but the cream looks like the jelly, only the cream doesn't really soak through.

the models of donuts are for the pocket type:

jelly (usually raspberry), cream (like the pudding), and frosting white or brown. i like the brown but i'll take either. and from there they may glaze the frostings if they want to seem like they have variety.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Good donut question Abbie! I like custard aka flan outside of my donut.

Ok, now Abbie is BANNED. But I will leave it up to you Mike how she should be banned, and if you keep encouraging her "donut" habit, then I will have to deal with you as well.

But yes, doing a lion work at a Zoo would be a great idea.

There are donute shopz at many zooz. Some even sale smoked turkey legs. There is a real potential for Lion pictures and a Turkey masterpiece exposure at the zoo.

i think her punishment is to overnight british donuts to me - or as they call it - edible roundabouts or fried pressed rings. just not the cream/custard ones, or they will turn.

for zoo's you have whatever animals they show off. once done, you can donate it, they will then advertise your work, and imagine all the business you'll get, you will be able to give away so much art.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Abbie's punishment is having to read all the "rubbish" from the America intellect.

Yes, I could hand out free lion art. YIPEE!!

it sounds like your best dream. people will finally enjoy your art, and you can make as many lion images as you want.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

You got it Mike. The greatest artists of all can afford to give away their work.

you mean the loaded ones can. but now your living the dream. maybe they will give you a seasonal pass.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Abbie's punishment is having to read all the "rubbish" from the America intellect.

I thought I already was.......

Good catch Mike! Loaded artist does not mean greatest artist! No need to conflate the 2 and imply a falsehood.

if your rich, then you don't need the money, so you don't have to worry about selling stuff, you just make stuff so you don't get bored.
if your a great artist, then you don't need a zoo to sell your things
if your a famous artist, then you don't need a random rich stranger that will take a cut.

if you create good work, people will want the work.
if you only create one theme or paint once every 20 years, don't expect people to be beating down your door for the art.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Looks to be a solid syllogism Mike!
You would make Aristotle proud!

of course the question is, will the zoo accept his work?


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Maybe. Especially if the animal shots come from the zoo where the art would appear. Free promotion! Many zoos need volunteers as it is. Poor funding!
I would suggest the circus but they have been too much of a political controversial hot spot. I wouldn't want Bill in that environment.
Many zoos have cage keepers. A comfortable concept for our friend Bill!

the hard part with the zoo is. it has to be just the animal, no religious overtones at all. it would have to be stripped back to just stock photography.

maybe with all of bills wild animal skills, he could be one of those animal keepers in the zoo. he could feed the deer, or clean up after the animals. it would make a nice hobby past time. since he doesn't need the money, and too much money makes a person boring if they aren't using any of their skills. he would be close to the animals, just like home. and the cages are usually small, so that would feel like home as well. if he gets really known, there could be bill shaped balloons.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

The zoo could have a Noah's Ark theme and he wouldn't be so limited then!
Balloons and toast with Bill's likeness could be seen all over the place!