The End Result.

Painting pictures can be a rollercoaster of emotion. From being so engrossed in your work you can carry on for hours, then to being taken over by excitement when something works out, to getting so angry and frustrated all you want to do is pour a bucket of black paint over the painting. This contrasting characteristics is what has inspired the imagery of this painting, stimulated from Csikmentmihalyi’s ”The Creative Personality” which discusses 10 contrasting personality traits of a creative person. Over all the readings this one has fascinated me the most, this is because as a creative person and knowing numerous creative personalities; I see many of the traits in the people. This could have contributed to the reason why I chose this subject to paint. What I wanted to portray is many different personas in one image but all unite; representing the innards of a creative persons mind. Maybe In fact my creative mind. The figures are flesh infused; being directly connected at the hips, (three figures to one hip) limbs and hair joining and turning into another figure.

Csikmentmihalyi’s number one point is “Creative individuals have a great deal of physical energy but are also quiet and at rest”. In representing this I have shown a figure bursting with exuberance, and on behalf of the quiet and at rest I have painted a figure who is meditating, showing how completely at rest one can be. Then energetic does not necessarily mean they have A.D.D. (Attention deficient disorder) or are hyperactive, like a child on red cordial. More or less it is that they can work hours on end. I feel that both of the discussed attributes contain concentration, the one focussed hours on end and the concentrating it takes to meditate.

In point one Csikmentmihalyi also suggests that “generalised libidinal energy which some express directly into sexuality”. This brings me to the third figure, which for me represents a few different attributes. The figure cuddling the breast of another can be directly linked to the high sex drive of a creative personality. I would also recommend that it is linked to Csikmentmihalyi’s point 7 “creative individuals to a certain extent escape rigid gender role stereotyping”. I am a straight, young lady and not supposed to like boobs. I do think it is possibly one of my favourite things to draw. I love the femininity of them, which is what generally attracts men to them.

I feel quite cliché for how I symbolise part of point 2 “creative individuals tend to be smart yet also naive”– a figure reading a book. A person reading a book always has the reference to the person being smart. The fact they are open to soaking up information through a book instantly translates to being smart. In terms of being naive, the victim of the boob cuddling for being naive to think that it was just a normal cuddle. The figure is shocked, so for me it is expressing the naivety of being easily trusting and not seeing ones true agenda.

Csikmentmihalyi’s third point expresses that “a combination of playfulness and discipline or responsibility and irresponsibility”. In relation to the previously discussed figure in point two, the bookworm represents discipline; the discipline one takes to read a book. The amount of times I have read a book, not because I want to but because I have made myself, and it takes discipline. As for playfulness and irresponsibility; it is represented by the figure looking kind of chubby in the face, with the intention of puffing its cheeks up to make a silly face.

Csikmentmihalyi’s states as his fifth point that “Creative people harbour opposite tendencies between extroversion and introversion”. The introversion is displayed through two figures:  one staring solemnly with her arms crossed, and another with her arms crossing over her face; hiding away from the world. The extroversion is shown through two figures: One previously spoken about in point 1 (the exuberant, energetic) giving off vibrancy. The other extroverted being the laughing figure – an outgoing loud creature.

“One to be humble and proud at the same time” is Csikmentmihalyi’s sixth point. Humble and proud: Not easy attributes to capture in a painting. Though for humble, I feel there is a connection with the previously discussed meditating figure. To meditate you have to be humble within yourself. I also want to relate the smiling figure to point six as one who is humble and proud must have a graceful smile and would just plainly smile a lot instead of boasting about their accomplishments.

The last point I would like to directly link Csikmentmihalyi’s fantastic words to is “the openness and sensitivity of creative individual often exposes them to suffering and pain yet to a great deal of enjoyment.” There are two figures: one with a knife going to stab another, which represents a person hurting themselves. In a sense it is one part of their mind going to stab another witch deals with the pain side of point 10. The second figure is the one thinking. Part of being open to pain is the anxieties and depressed thoughts a person keeps to them self. As for enjoyment they have all previously been spoken about; the humble smile, extroverted laugh, and the energetic creature.

For me the painting reveals the depressing, lonesome, darkness of a creative personality as well as the enjoyment, laughter and good humour they are open to. Does this mean all creative people are the same, because majority have these contrasting attributes? Of course not, because I didn’t mention that the reading also states that creative people are independent, and with this independence they apply these attributes to different creative fields. Here is an example: World known Steven Spielberg directed ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Schindler’s List’. Two completely different movies which were shot practically back to back. From a fantasy, action packed, dinosaur movie, then to fabricate a true, tragedy, haunting, Holocaust movie. Can you imagine the range of contrasting emotions he went through during the period of filming the movies? Those are the range of contrasting emotions every creative soul experiences.

A Splash of Colour

 

I used black ink, and some acrylic paints defining my characters. At this point I had no idea where I as taking the painting, no idea of how the finished image would turn out. I also new at this point I was nowhere near finished and any artist who finishes a painting this quick has not had a chance to add layers (very important  when painting) and develop their work. If you get the work right straight away then what creative process have you experienced?

The answer is you have not experienced anything nor will you learn anything, from passed experiences it is the works that I have made the most mistakes on are the ones that I have gained the most from. In my drawing class I get frustrated because the teacher just walks past and says “that’s good”  and then only gives me a H as a mark. This angers me because she hasn’t pushed me, has not guided on how to improve and take it further. It also frustrates me because the boy who gets the HD (who is a very talented to his credit) was constantly getting criticism on how to take his pictures further. This is proof the more working out and mistakes you make can improve your chance at a higher success.

This stage of the painting is my base coat, my first layer. I don’t like the outcome of it, but without it my picture would not be the same. I decided to change medium to markers.I just was not having any success with the background so I got experimental and actually put clothes stain remover on the back ground to try and make a different effect. When I paint I simply use whatever is around…and I had been doing laundry. I felt that the background looked too tacky, like a child’s colouring in picture (cute when they are 7 years old, but not cute to a 20 year old art student). I also thought this would add an uneven texture and strip colour off on the segments that had been sprayed. I do apologise for the horrible picture quality on the above picture.

Who is an creative Individual?

Why hello, I am Katrina Hales and I am a creative individual;)

My BIG head.(2011)

Is it arrogant of me to think I am a creative individual? All those compliments from peers and loved ones growing up, nurturing my art. No way hosay! It gave me confidence and with that confidence it has helped me grow and further my talent. Does that mean that I think every work I do is amazing?Of course not! If anything I am my hardest critic, and often have to paint  few things at a time so in my anger I an switch works and not rip the work to pieces. This its self is a form of passion for my work which related to point 9 of Csikszentmihalyi creative personality, week four reading which I am directly relating my creative project to and majority of my blogs…

Csikszentmihalyi writing has had the biggest impact on me, I feel this is because I can relate so easily to it. In every point I see a glimpse of myself. Even down to the morbid point of depression and suicide but hey I will save that for another blog.

Back onto the point of my creative project…I am going to give you a gander at a sketch of mine done earlier in the year that helped me work out how to make my creative project possible.

connected (2011)

Let me start by if seeing lady’s nipples offend you then stop reading because there is alot of titage (showing of nipple) in my work. I will openly admit I love boobs, they are awesome and no that does not make me a raging lesbian I just enjoy the female form.

At first I was going to draw faces, trying to reconstruct in visual form, to try and capture the 10 creative contrasting components. Then I thought, wow that would be seriously lame having all these floating heads and there is only so much one can capture in a face and they would not be directly  connect but then I thought back to this sketch drawn experimenting…and this blessed idea was born.

pencil sketch

As I take this picture further I will do a further analysis of every character, relating directly to me and the reading.