Take it to the Limit
In this week's chapter of Steal Like an Artist, we were given advice about what to leave out.
When I am assigned a project, or I just feel the need to create a project for myself, I try to look for inspiration. The problem is, it's hard to narrow down what or where I want inspiration from. Even when I decided what I want the subject matter to be, I then have to decide what medium to use.
This chapter told us the importance of leaving things out.
Kleon states that the best way to get over a creative block is to place constraints on yourself. When I first read this, I wasn't sure how this could possibly work. By giving yourself constraints, wouldn't you be limiting yourself in what you could do? What if you wanted to make a painting but limited yourself only to a pen?
As I read further, it began to make a little more sense. Kleon tells us that having the right constraints can lead to our very best work. He uses the example of Dr. Seuss writing some of his best-known work by limiting himself to only a few different words. From there, it started to make a bit more sense to me. I'm not sure if I could write a story with just a few different words, but the thought of a constricted design made more sense. I think that placing constrictions on yourself, being creative might come easier. With constrictions, we could save ourselves time from trying to decide things like what medium we want to use or what size to make our project.
I used to be a big fan of Jack White (this was back during his White Stripes and Loretta Lynn days). When I was middle school-high school age, I played guitar a lot, so of course I followed Jack White's work (and, of course, I had a crush on him). I would stay up to see him on the Late Show or Conan to watch him perform. I specifically remember watching him play guitar and keyboard at the same time with both hands! It's been a while since I've looked into his work and what he's been up to. I went back to look through what I'd forgotten about him. I saw a movie he had been in called "It Might Get Loud" in which he, Jimmy Page and The Edge (lead guitarist of U2) discuss electric guitars from their point of view. It might not sound too interesting, but I recommend watching it if you're into music or guitars. The beginning of the movie shows Jack White building a guitar from scratch using a plank of old wood, a glass bottle used as a bridge, nails, some wire for strings, a guitar pickup and an input (all which work!) So he really knows the mechanics behind guitars as well.
For extra credit, I chose to watch Frances Ha from the creative movies list. It didn't really seem to interesting to me at first, but I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen and if everything would turn out alright for the characters. Plus, I'm a fan of Adam Driver <3.
The story is about Frances, a young woman living in New York trying to make it as a dancer. Although she doesn't have much talent for it, Frances works as an apprentice in a dance company. The movie shows Frances going from one situation to another. We see everything from her working life to her personal life. We see Frances and her best friend, Sophie, drift apart because Sophie is moving on with her life with her boyfriend, Patch. Frances befriends two other characters, Lev and Benji, and eventually moves in with them for a short time.
Frances acts kind of immature, but she's still a likable character. I thought her personality was funny and it made me laugh. It doesn't use in-your-face humor, but more light-hearted.
All of the characters feel real and relatable. Different scenarios were played out that reminded me of one I'd been in at one point or another.
I enjoyed this movie. I thought that it was interesting that it was shot in black and white. I wasn't sure if I liked that much at first. As I kept watching, it kind of made watching the movie feel nostalgic, like looking back at something I remember doing.
When I am assigned a project, or I just feel the need to create a project for myself, I try to look for inspiration. The problem is, it's hard to narrow down what or where I want inspiration from. Even when I decided what I want the subject matter to be, I then have to decide what medium to use.
This chapter told us the importance of leaving things out.
Kleon states that the best way to get over a creative block is to place constraints on yourself. When I first read this, I wasn't sure how this could possibly work. By giving yourself constraints, wouldn't you be limiting yourself in what you could do? What if you wanted to make a painting but limited yourself only to a pen?
As I read further, it began to make a little more sense. Kleon tells us that having the right constraints can lead to our very best work. He uses the example of Dr. Seuss writing some of his best-known work by limiting himself to only a few different words. From there, it started to make a bit more sense to me. I'm not sure if I could write a story with just a few different words, but the thought of a constricted design made more sense. I think that placing constrictions on yourself, being creative might come easier. With constrictions, we could save ourselves time from trying to decide things like what medium we want to use or what size to make our project.
I decided to set a constraint on myself by using only a black marker to draw an image. I found it easier to add form when just using one color.
I used to be a big fan of Jack White (this was back during his White Stripes and Loretta Lynn days). When I was middle school-high school age, I played guitar a lot, so of course I followed Jack White's work (and, of course, I had a crush on him). I would stay up to see him on the Late Show or Conan to watch him perform. I specifically remember watching him play guitar and keyboard at the same time with both hands! It's been a while since I've looked into his work and what he's been up to. I went back to look through what I'd forgotten about him. I saw a movie he had been in called "It Might Get Loud" in which he, Jimmy Page and The Edge (lead guitarist of U2) discuss electric guitars from their point of view. It might not sound too interesting, but I recommend watching it if you're into music or guitars. The beginning of the movie shows Jack White building a guitar from scratch using a plank of old wood, a glass bottle used as a bridge, nails, some wire for strings, a guitar pickup and an input (all which work!) So he really knows the mechanics behind guitars as well.
For extra credit, I chose to watch Frances Ha from the creative movies list. It didn't really seem to interesting to me at first, but I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen and if everything would turn out alright for the characters. Plus, I'm a fan of Adam Driver <3.
The story is about Frances, a young woman living in New York trying to make it as a dancer. Although she doesn't have much talent for it, Frances works as an apprentice in a dance company. The movie shows Frances going from one situation to another. We see everything from her working life to her personal life. We see Frances and her best friend, Sophie, drift apart because Sophie is moving on with her life with her boyfriend, Patch. Frances befriends two other characters, Lev and Benji, and eventually moves in with them for a short time.
Frances acts kind of immature, but she's still a likable character. I thought her personality was funny and it made me laugh. It doesn't use in-your-face humor, but more light-hearted.
All of the characters feel real and relatable. Different scenarios were played out that reminded me of one I'd been in at one point or another.
I enjoyed this movie. I thought that it was interesting that it was shot in black and white. I wasn't sure if I liked that much at first. As I kept watching, it kind of made watching the movie feel nostalgic, like looking back at something I remember doing.
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