Mystery Beyond Mysteries

As I explore with any number of media or concepts I can only tackle one or two problems at a time. I create problems to be resolved by limiting myself. So the process is not always straightforward. The results are almost always different. There is always an element of uncertainty. If I settled for less of the process, life would be boring and creativity sucked dry.* I would lose heart and probably hate myself for not pursuing excellence or for giving up too soon.

Before I finish a piece of art, story, or project I usually begin to see new opportunities. They open up and sometimes I get to dive in and sometimes I have to wait. This is why it is art and not math. After every new revelation there are opportunities. I called them doors in my last post. They abound in the minute and in the universe as a whole.

An Exploration Of Whimsy, sample**

When paint is applied to paper even the seems in the paper of the same brand can lead you down new paths and open up new opportunities. It is a mystery and it is true. It is the most exciting part about being an artist. It is always dangerous if you are trying to sell exactly the same thing to everybody, but it is a given. I won't rant here about the foibles of commercial art, but I will say that you don't know what you are missing if perfect replication is your highest standard.

So artists should seek to let their mess be a mess and loose their passion in whatever way God directs them to. It is a mystery beyond mysteries as to how this works toward a design, but He did put the boundaries between the sky and the oceans. Why not embrace it?




*I have settled for less, the results are not fun.
** Click here for the full version: Deviantart