Over a month ago, I wrote what I intended to be part one of a two-part post on the postures of an artist.
Yes, "postures," as in the plural.
Except I waxed (whether eloquently or not, I’ll let you be the judge) on a single posture–contemplation. Then I continued waxing like the karate kid on contemplation. Then I was distracted by various subjects–books, photos, secret-revealing, camping, you name it.
No worries. Today I return to my initial (though belated) intention.
The tough thing about distinguishing the postures of art-making is that in a sense, I’m never not art-making. While I’m doing dishes, I’m thinking about the latest scene that’s been giving me trouble. If I’m watching TV or a movie, I’m considering how the writers handled character, plot, and dialogue. On a camping trip, I’m taking notes for possible stories or bits of dialogue (because I steal blatently, and I’m not afraid to admit it). My prayers are a form of art-making, a dialogue between God and me. Add to this that everything I do, everyone I meet influences my writing and music, how I write, the themes I expound, the characters I meet, the rhythm of my words.
In other words, "postures of art-making" would be a useless theme. You might as well say "postures of life." It’s the same with "postures of an artist," since every posture of life is a posture of an artist. (This is why I can’t sleep at night–my mind still works, creating bits of dialogue, dwelling on the shape of my manuscript.)
But by "postures of an artist," (or art-making) I mean those intentional postures that we choose in order to better our art, or perhaps the postures that define as artists, rather than financial planners or construction workers (although many a financial planner and construction worker has also been an artist).
Without further ado:
- Posture of learning: the artist is a constant learner of his craft. How can I better form this sentence? What more can I learn about structure from another artist? Beyond that, the artist pursues learning in many subjects beyond her own, whether a particular subject to address in the art itself or of philosophy and worldview and humanity and aesthetics, because art is caught up in these areas.
For me, as a writer, specifically, this means constantly reading–reading within and outside of my genre, interspersed with reading on art and the craft of writing. Reading about subjects of interest and sometimes subjects I never thought I’d like. But it also means learning outside of my discipline. As I learn about performance art or sculpture or photography, this influences my writing. Art overlaps with art. - Posture of observation: If art is caught up in beauty and humanity, joys and sufferings, then we must first observe these. We observe them in the small gestures, between grandmother and granddaughter, perhaps, or between lovers, or between bully and victim. We observe grand gestures between countries, people groups, neighborhoods. We observe the wilting of a flower and the expansion of a tea leaf. We observe the creaks and groans of a house, the way a crack travels on a worn-out sidewalk.
Because of this posture more than others, I believe, I never stop working. I must have made a comment to a friend recently that made him realize that in some sense, I never stop working. "You need a break," he said, "or you’ll wear your creativity out." Nonsense. Creativity begets creativity, and while I need frequent breaks from crouching over my keyboard, because I’m primarily a thief (actually, I prefer the term "pirate"), the more I observe, the more my creative spidey-senses go crazy. Writer’s block forces me to step away from the laptop and into the world full of gestures, conversations, and the rush of life, all of which goes into my Nancy Drew notebook.
I’m sure I’ll think of more postures (at 1:36 tonight, or in the morning, rather, interspersed between the line I want to add about the dead bugs in the corners of my character’s room and the dialogue I want to remember that my character overhears), but for now, this is enough.
What postures do you consider necessary to your art-making?
