monday studio tip of the week

Kraton Kanoman, Cirebon, Indonesia, 2005, chromogenic dye coupler print, 36 x 43, 48 x 57, Adler Hotel with Piano, Sharon Springs, 2005, chromogenic dye coupler print, 36 x 43, 48 x 57, JL Taman, Yogajakarta, Indonesia, 2005, chromogenic dye coupler print, 36 x 43, 48 x 57

see more of wijnanda deroo's amazing photographs here.

this week's tip comes from robert genn's recent letter in which he discusses artistic 'sterility'....

Sterility is where you find yourself running on empty. It's not to be confused with "artistic senility"--another condition where the brain, often in old age, begins to run on memory rather than experiencing each work as a new event. We actually learn sterility during our teen years, as societal demands and peer pressure begin to stifle the audacity of the natural child. The sterile adult has feelings of barrenness and loss that can bring on a state of panic.

Fertility, the opposite of sterility, is learned. Curiosity and experimentation are adopted attitudes, and while they fluctuate and at times appear loony, they're largely voluntary.

Picasso was one who understood the private search for "new" because he felt the weight of the public "old." This view may not sit well with artists who honour traditions and time-worn subjects, but even in these there is room for new excitements and subtle evolutions. While we may recognize that a quick antidote is not always going to work, there are ploys that, taken individually or in combination, can do the job. Here are seven:

Change your media.
Mix your media.
Change your working environment.
Change your tools.
Exercise your body.
Study your favourite artists.
Jump around a lot.

If you are a slow worker, speed up. If you are a speedy one, slow down. Above all, grab something and get started. The learned ability of renewal is as necessary to the creative mind as holding a brush. And as brushes are often replaced, there can always be another love.

click here for my post about robert genn.