Create Random with Abandon

One of my favorite aspects of mixed media is the freedom that this approach to art offers. Anything goes and no supply or technique is off limits. This looseness allows me to create without thinking - a process that has made my art less constricted and more organic. And as an artist who tends toward linearity, this has transformed my work greatly.

Certain projects, such as bookbinding, require sustained concentration and a good deal of focus. Making a mixed media surface, on the other hand, often ends up better when the artist creates without conscious effort. I call this getting into the creative zone. You know, the one where time passes and your forget the rest of the world.

When we overthink as artists, we hand out inner critic a megaphone and end up with negative thoughts: "This isn't coming out the way I want it to. I cannot paint as well as...(insert the name of every other artist ever seen online). If I go any further I will ruin it." It's hard to imagine feeling the creative burn with these types of thoughts running through our heads.

The solution is to create random with abandon.

-Focus less on how the artwork will come out and more on enjoying the process. 

-Recognize that there's no law that says any layer along the way needs to look good.

-Let each layer guide you to your next move, rather than having a preconceived notion as to how the final piece should look.

-In other words, let go and create without thinking.

This process is what my workshop 52 Card Pickup is all about. For those of you who are interested in learning to create random with abandon, this workshop is now available in the Interweave store as an immediate download or a DVD. You can also purchase the DVD directly from my online shop.

For a taste of what you will find, head to this post on the Cloth Paper Scissors blog for a step-by-step tutorial culled from the project. Or take a peek at this segment from the recording.

And whatever you do...don't overthink!