Black Sheep Pen

Interview with ELIZABETH McDONALD

2011-12-22T02:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the BLACK SHEEP PEN for our end of year edition. This month, Elizabeth McDonald, an artist from Newcastle, Australia, writes for the Pen. Newcastle seems to have an extremely lively and vibrant creative scene, and Elizabeth is in the middle of it. For the sake of transparency, I'm happy to admit I'm particularly proud to present this interview as Elizabeth and we used to live across the road from each other when we were 7 years old! If you'd like to make contact with Elizabeth, you can write to her at coastalfringe@gmail.com

Thanks Elizabeth, and happy holidays to all, however you may be celebrating, and sincere wishes for a joyful and creative 2012.

Elizabeth's Self-Portrait

What is the greatest reward you get from doing your work?

When I sit down to create a work it is the only time I can experience a sense of mindfulness. I find this incredibly rewarding as instead of being mentally elsewhere, I am able to switch off all the thoughts in my mind and enter a meditative state by being in the present moment. All that matters is the canvas in front of me and I am acutely aware of each mark I place on it.

I love the sense of achievement and purpose I have after the work is completed, and the energy received from people responding to it. I find people are becoming more conscious and appreciative of hand-made work as we become engulfed by mass produced objects.

In your opinion, what does it mean to be a successful artist?

Apart from commercial success― for all the boring reasons of needing money to keep producing any art―it has to be the ability to accept that to be successful you are going to need to be innovative, dedicated and great at juggling all the minutiae. Being an artist you need stints of unbroken time to create and in order to be productive you have to sacrifice some areas of your life. You can spend hours overwhelmed by what you can’t achieve. Patti Smith puts it so well, “… it all just seems endless. But you could sit all day paralysed by what you can’t do. We are all captains of our little boats and I don’t want to use the world’s problems as an excuse not to do my work.”

The idea that to be a successful artist you have to live some kind of tortured existence doesn’t sit well with me. It is fine to produce works that people will want to buy, and that are playful, as well as works that make them suffer. I think we have a capacity to use our creativity to improve the human condition and to bring joy to those seeing our artwork. I recently read Lucian Freud’s comment on Damien Hirst’s shark in formaldehyde, “It’s okay, it’s clever, but after you’ve seen it once, there’s not much to come back to.”

What experience, good or bad, has taught you the most as an artist?

I can clearly remember a sculpture class in my first year of Fine Arts at Uni. that changed my way of thinking forever. We were all sitting around putting together our “pieces”―which was the great thing about sculpture―anything could be a “piece” if you looked at it long enough. Behind us, a group of third years were dissecting a recent show:

“I cannot believe they took my piece out of the exhibition!” said the outraged student.

I know! I can’t believe they didn’t get the whole concept of rotting meat and the decay of our bodies as we consume it” said the equally outraged friend.

Apparently, he had enclosed a kilo of sausages in a perspex box for the end-of-year two week summer exhibition. Three days of forty degree heat and the artwork had to be removed because people had started to vomit on entry.

So I guess it made me think, don’t take it all too seriously. And also, if your work is making people throw up it may be worthwhile rethinking your medium.

"Lampyridae"

"In dreams I live"

"A certain slant of light"

"Summer's melting my mind"

© all words and images, Elizabeth McDonald, 2011.

Interview with DOUGLAS PEXA

2011-11-06T04:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to a new and streamlined version of the Black Sheep Pen. Its been a year since the last contribution, but there is ink in the old pen yet. I'm really excited to relaunch this blog with a contribution from Douglas Pexa, an artist from the U.S.. Doug is a really proactive contributor to the artistic world, I met him via the Figure Drawing Factory, an online life drawing group, which he was instrumental in setting up. I've also been profoundly inspired by his photo record projects, especially the Photo a Day project which he has been doing for years and which I have emulated in several guises. Here are Doug's words and a small selection of his work. Make sure you check out his other work and projects at his homepage.

Thanks Doug!

Doug's Self Portrait

What is the greatest reward you get from doing your work?

Like most artists, the greatest reward/joy is doing the work. Creation is by far why I do the work, I really love working through the process of making art. It often leads me down unexpected avenues as it guides me almost as if we are having a dialogue, to where it wants to go. It can be frustrating and exhilarating as I try to force my preconceived notions on to it and it fights back.

The other joy for me is to get the work out into the world and see how people react to it. I am always amazed which works are liked by certain people, and I am usually wrong about who will like what! It also is a joy finding out what others feel a work says or means, the adage of a picture is worth a thousand words stands true. I feel that narrative is unique to everyone though…

In your opinion, what does it mean to be a successful artist?

In the business world being successful usually means you are on top of their game, making loads of cash and keeping up with the Jones. In art success can mean a lot of other stuff, hence the goals are different or more varied. Don’t get me wrong, artists need to make a living just like everyone else and yes making money is a qualifier of success but it is not the golden fleece as it is in other fields.

I think we need to look at the “job” of an artist to get a better picture. An artist is a creative, an independent business owner, and a manufacture but they are also teachers, and political/social commentators, as well as a philosopher.

This suggest to me that success comes from creating something that people can enjoy on more than one level if they so choose. Evoking emotion, curiosity and wonderment, to challenge ones sensibilities and ones notions about the world and even who they are and can be, is a component of success.

Ok, that is my lofty answer but I have a simple one too and as for myself, an artist is successful if he or she feels good about his or her own body of work. Willing to continue to put work out into the world from desire and need.

What experience, good or bad, has taught you the most as an artist?

I must say art school is a great way to learn your craft and vet your ideas. I think any serious artist should go through it or at least take some advanced art classes to really get the skills and knowledge that is important to artists. I am not saying you have to get a degree but at least some education is important but not the most important.

For me, getting out of your normal way of working has taught me the most. I am primarily a painter with a love of the figure. With that said, I also love to work in other media, even when I don’t know what I am doing! So my advice is if you are a painter try some photography, if you are a sculptor try some poetry, how about some print making, or gold leafing, or watercolor? If you paint big, make a tiny painting, if you are really structured in your process, splatter paint around! The moral of the story here is HAVE FUN AND DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL! Failure is the biggest catalyst to learning and success.

"ICU Dad, 2."

"Light"

"Life and times of the Chairman"

"Girl on blue"

"573"

"006"

Hibernating sheep...

2011-09-21T03:09:00.000-07:00

Hi, thanks for visiting the Black Sheep Pen. You might notice that its now been a year since I've posted any new interviews - sorry! I've approached so many people, the project should be full for years but alas even those who have been interested initially have not come through with any contributions. I still believe in the project and will continue trying to add to it as time and support allows, in the meantime thanks again to the generous and insightful contributors who you can read about here. Also, keep on eye on Michael Werner's TWO WAY LENS photography blog, its amazing, monthly reading. Photographers may take pictures worth 1000 words, but they also love to use actual words! Check it out, and hopefully see you here again soon!

Interview with JAMES FRIEDMAN

2010-09-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 1st anniversary edition of the Black Sheep Pen! May I take this opportunity to thank the amazing, creative individuals who have participated in the project thus far, thank you for your generosity in supporting a new, untested idea and for adding your wisdom and insights to this concept. Although the readership may be small, I am sure we are creating what will remain a valuable and inspirational resource for creative people.

This month, BSP interviews photographer James Friedman. I'm really excited about this interview, not only because of the charm and beauty of James' images but because of his experience and knowledge as a teacher and mentor of other photographers. Please enjoy James' photos and thoughts.

James' Self Portrait

© James Friedman, 2010

What inspires you in your creativity?

I began photographing as a five year old using a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera. As a child, when I looked through the camera’s viewfinder the frequent chaos in my life would evaporate and all would be right with the world; this experience while photographing continues to inspire me.

While much of my work is autobiographical, I am committed to creating a diverse, explorative archive of photography that evidences varied approaches to the medium. I am interested in sharing visually both my interior life as well as the world around me in photographing the landscape, doing street photography, portraiture and documentary projects.

Visual, emotional and metaphorical complexities inspire me.

Photography’s inherent relationship to memory and personal history inspires me.

Provocative, challenging and sometimes inscrutable art inspires me.

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

My creative process is to do as little thinking as possible while I am photographing. I work with a blank mind, try to react instinctively and intuitively to what I am picturing and have great fun. Making the process fun is essential because without it, the photographs usually lack soul. If I listen to the noise in my head while photographing, I tend to second-guess myself and the photographs typically fail to engage viewers. This strategy seems to work for me: photograph with a blank mind without judgment and evaluate the pictures later.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?

The fact that I have been practicing photography for many years and understand how the world is transformed in photographs provides me with confidence. I am motivated by the need to see my ideas in photographs. While all is right with the world when I am photographing, it is the discovery of indelible pictures after the work is done that motivates me—these surprises keep me going.

I have enjoyed successes in terms of exhibitions, publications, and support for my work as well as establishing an audience that appreciates my photography. These factors have provided confidence.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

I feel successful as an artist when I am in the midst of working on a project about which I am passionate; I consider success to have been accomplished when a project has been completed, it engages an audience and generates responses and feedback.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?

Diving in without much deliberation is key to getting started. For those who don’t know where to start, it may be useful to explore their chosen medium with a playful attitude, defiance and without judgment. Embrace mistakes and missteps and learn from them. Becoming an expert through study about their passionate interests is vital. Working with an experienced, knowledgeable, nurturing guide (who is willing to be direct with feedback) could be helpful for initiating and sustaining creative expression.

Self Portrait

from the series, "People and Other Creatures"

from the series, "Roaming"

from the series, "1,029,398 Cigarettes"

from the series, "Hippos and Me"

from the series, "Pleasures and Terrors of Kissing"

from the series, "Blinding White and Other Colors"

Thanks James, for these thoughtful and thought provoking answers. It makes me consider how much I still have to learn about the methods by which I express and explore my own creativity. Our creative challenge for the month then is to spend some time learning something new, or expanding existing knowledge, in some aspect of how we create. What comes directly to mind? What do you know you really need to know more about?

Interview with MARTIN AUSTWICK

2010-08-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

Another exciting new installment today, an interview with Martin Austwick who is a scientist, podcaster as "Martin the Soundman" on Answer Me This, and also the musical entity know as THE SOUND OF THE LADIES. In this interview, Martin discusses how creativity is involved in all of these aspects of his life and work. Most exciting, today is the official launch of the latest album from THE SOUND OF THE LADIES, which is called We Went To The Bottom Of The Ocean. You can listen to the album as you read the interview by pressing the play at the bottom of this page, then go and buy it (with your cover art of choice) via THE SOUND OF THE LADIES homepage.

Martin's self portrait.

So, I should probably begin by explaining a bit about who I am; by day, I'm a scientist (I did my undergrad and PhD in Physics, currently I work on mathematical models of social sciences problems) and by night a podcaster and songwriter. I engineer, write music for, and appear in Answer me This!, an interactive comedy podcast which won a Sony Radio Award this year, and write, perform and produce music as The Sound of The Ladies, having just released a new album ("We went to the bottom of the Ocean") under that banner.

This means that there are at least three answers to any of the questions, so bear with me!

What inspires you in your creativity?
In science, finding an interesting problem and an interesting way to solve it is what provides the creative drive. I'd like to say it's altruistic, but at the end of the day, intellectual stimulation is what it's all about. People assume that science isn't creative - I disagree: it is, but under a very tight set of constraints. I've always been a believer that total freedom is bad for creativity; for example, in my music, I've set myself constraints by not having a drum kit (I live in a flat!) and wanting to play all the parts myself. This forces me to adapt what I can do to the circumstances, rather than staring at a blank page with a swiss army knife and no ideas (if you can excuse the mixed metaphor).

Musically, I try to find things that I care about, things that interest me, things that surprise me, things that make me question my assumptions about the world. When I was writing the line "There's not a single competition not arbitrary or pointless" for "The '40s never died" on the new album, it made me think in the simplest terms - do I believe that? I'd tried to work out different ways to approach that subject, but at the end of the day, the direct route took me right into - am I saying competition is nothing but a construct?

In Answer Me This, I have free rein to say whatever I want with the knowledge that it'll be cut. It's fairly conversational, so I can say pretty much what I think. Or at least what "Martin the Sound Man" thinks ;)

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?
Well, in science, you just do the work. If you're being imaginative it'll come out by the approaches you try to use - these things usually suggest themselves.

In music, I think time is a real factor. I used to write when the muse came to me, but it meant I wrote about one song a year. Now I force myself to sit down and spend time writing. It can be a real wrench - the fact that creativity is so inefficient (at least for me). So I'll write a bunch of riffs or chord progressions, most of which get binned or forgotten, then some of those will become songs (which takes ages), 2/3 of which will be rubbish. It means I spend about 90% of my time working on music I think is shit! And then you have record the fuckers. And record and promote and gig them!

Music for Answer me This, and some of the Songs about Science music I've done in the past, is a bit different - I don't feel as if they have to be especially heartfelt or original, as long as they're fit for purpose. Likewise, I did an album of very short instrumentals (30s-2minutes) as lullabies for my new nieces - there the constraints are different again. This takes the pressure off and means I can play around a bit more.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?
Um... good question. In science, I get paid to do it. So that works pretty well as motivation. And it beats working in a quiche factory. I have been doing science for long enough now and have enough bits of paper that even I can be reasonably confident in my abilities.

Music-wise - sometimes I'm not sure. There have been points over the last few years where I've really questioned why I'm making music. I think it comes down something Nick from The Monroe Transfer said when I talked to him about it - "What are you going to do, stop making music?". Realistically, that's not an option for me at the moment. I'd be like Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt. People emailing me and saying they connected with what I do, that they love the music - that really helps to motivate me and convince me that there are people out there who get something out of what I do (people other than me, I mean!).

Answer Me This is easy for me really - I don't put nearly as much work into it as the hosts Helen and Olly, and I get nice letters from listeners for my trouble! It's the best work/reward ratio of anything I do...

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?
In science, your work stands and falls on how accurate it is - it can be as elegant as you like, but how much it looks like the real world is the litmus test. And then, I suppose, the citations of your peers - but I don't worry about that because I'm not an influential scientist, at least not yet.

Artistically, if I like something, if I'm proud of it - you know, is it as good as Tom Waits? Well, no. Is it as good as something Joanna Newsom would write on an off day? Sure, maybe... Is it true? Is it interesting? Do I enjoy listening to it?

I don't really believe in many metrics for artistic success other than, do you like it? And then maybe, has it been done before (it's always been done before)? Have *I* done it before? Is it overly sentimental? If it is, is that the point? Would it gut the emotion if I did it any other way? These sorts of things.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?
I honestly don't know. Learning through play is something I would always advocate. And setting yourself a goal where the consequences of failure don't bother you - then you won't be afraid to fail, and you'll actually take some risks. But taking some risks is probably going to have to happen at some point - even if it's just showing someone else something you've created. For many people, I think that's the biggest risk.

Thanks for these very interesting insights Martin. The creativity challenge for this month is to take any idea you have and to try and produce it in 3 different ways or using 3 different forms or methods. Ideally, then be brave enough to show the 3 outcomes to someone else and have a conversation about how it felt to produce your ideas in each format, how enjoyable it was and how well you've been able to express what you hoped to express.

Interview with ANDREW COLLINS

2010-07-30T04:03:00.000-07:00

This month I'm very excited to share this interview with Andrew Collins. Andrew is an author, journalist, scriptwriter and broadcaster from the UK and he is just about to perform his solo comedy show, Secret Dancing, at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His podcasts are an essential part of my week so check them out but for now, please enjoy Andrew's contribution to the Black Sheep Pen .

Andrew's self-portrait (for a Christmas card, 1984!)

What inspires you in your creativity?

A deadline. This may sound a bit brutal, but if I have to deliver something or prepare something for a certain date, I will do so. This is not to say that I don't wake up in the morning with a creative thought - I often do - but I can't control that. I may be inspired by a seeing comedian to write a joke, or by a piece of journalism to write something, or by a TV show to come up with a new idea for a TV show, but nothing beats being commissioned to do one of those things, and having a deadline to meet.

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

There is no process. Just sit down, open the laptop and create a new, blank document. If I have a secret, it's to sometimes open a document that contains something I have recently written which I am proud of. I "save as", insert the new title, and then delete what's there in order to start again. This is pointless, but it helps to translate the vibe of what I've previously written into my fingers and my brain. If you write for a living, you are merely reorganizing existing sentences into a new order. That's all you can hope to do: arrange the English language into a new shape that pleases you and hopefully pleases others. Or at least explains something clearly.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?

I actually don't know. My line of work - especially writing for television - is spelled out in rejection. For every sitcom I actually get into development, or to pilot stage, or to commission stage (the holy grail), there will be at least ten, if not more, that I also pitched and had rejected. I had a sitcom put into development by BBC Comedy at the beginning of 2009. I ended up writing six drafts of the pilot script, and it was then rejected. This was hard. But instead of killing myself, or getting a proper job, I came up with another three pitches, and one of those was later put into development with an independent production company, and I have a meeting with the BBC about that, literally, in two days' time. Who knows? That will probably be rejected too. But if you give up, you can guarantee you won't get a sitcom commissioned. I must have hope in my soul somewhere. I do think of myself as an optimist, but I am not a blind optimist. I am a realistic optimist. I always say, I may not be talented, but I am punctual. You'd be amazed by how far you can get by being on time, and writing to length and to deadline, and being polite and nice. I have confidence that I can do all of that, and hope that luck gets me the rest of the way.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

If I am happy. I was happy with the script that the BBC rejected. I was happy with the script that Channel 4 rejected two years before. I worked as a professional illustrator for a year after leaving college. Pretty much everything I drew was soulless and functional. I was rarely proud of the work, only proud of the fact that I had some work. I gave it up.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?

In front of a blank sheet of paper, or a blank screen. There is no other place to start. Your job is the take away the white space. That's it.

© all images and text Andrew Collins, 2010.

Thanks for these insights Andrew, and good luck in Edinburgh! I am really drawn to the idea of a sense of happiness being the prime benchmark for evaluating our creative success. This month, the creativity challenge is quite simple. Attempt three different creative tasks and evaluate how happy you feel while doing them (not how happy you are with the output) and try to define what it is about the activity that's making you happy.... then do more of that - find new ways to include these elements into other tasks and other contexts.

Interview with NICK EARLS

2010-06-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the Black Sheep Pen. This month I'm very excited that Nick Earls has agreed to be interviews for the project. Nick is an award winning author from Australia, writing novels, short stories and recently, plays. For a full list of his works, please check out his homepage and of course, take advantage of the wonders of the WWW to buy some of his books if you haven't read them already! I've usually been, if not the same age, certainly in the same generation as most of Nick's protagonists, and I think this has allowed for enormous resonance with (and reassurance from!) their stories of dealing with life and its changes as a young man in Australian society. Please enjoy Nick's contribution.

Nick's self portrait

What inspires you in your creativity?

I’m intrigued by the workings of people – what they think, why they think it, why they do what they do. Writing fiction is a great way of exploring that. I’m also driven by the challenge that it is, every time. Every story starts out feeling like a puzzle I don’t quite know how to solve yet.

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

I’ve realised that some of the best idea start out small, and don’t look like much at all. I’ve become better at recognising them, and not losing them. I make notes and I file them away. Eventually a couple, or a few, start to to look as though they might fit together in an interesting way. Then I give them a push and see where they go. I start asking who they might be about, and more possibilities come along. Once a cluster of ideas gets some momentum, it gets its own folder. Over a year or more, ideas that might fit get thrown in. Some of them come along by chance, others by putting some deliberate thought in. I’m thinking divergently then, and throwing nothing out. Then, when the folder is fat enough, I have to think convergently. I look at all I’ve got and try to get a sense of what my main story and other storylines will be. Then I move the elements around – literally, on the floor – until I think I’ve got the shape of it. Then I sit at the keyboard and turn it into an outline. For a novel that might be 20,000 words. By then I have not only a lot of story details worked out, I also know my characters pretty well and I’ve found the voice of my story and my narrator. Then I write the first draft. Some people prefer to write that draft with far less planning than I go through, but their first drafts are likely to be far, well, draftier. They learn a lot from draft one, and their draft two might be more like my first draft. But we each make our own choices about how we work.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?

Confidence has never been a big feature. Early on it was more about resilience, and about being unable to resist the nagging urge to write the next story. It’s still that urge – the need to solve the new unsolved, unmade puzzle – that keeps me writing. It’s a good reason to write, I think. Of course, it’s also my job now, so it’s handy to write a novel occasionally. But that would never really work for me as a motivation. For me, it’s too much of a pain in the arse to write a novel to do it for any reason other than compulsion.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

I try to talk myself out of evaluating it in terms of numbers. It’s easy to do that, but almost nobody wins. Dan Brown wins. The Da Vinci Code’s sold 80,000,000 copies and it turns out my novels haven’t. But no one actually needs to sell 80,000,000. I guess better benchmarks are things like:

did I do justice to the ideas I started out with?
did the end result mean something to someone?
did I learn something that might be useful next time?
do I still want to do this job?
is the marketplace going to let me keep doing this job?

So, it’s not until right at the end that filthy commerce kicks in, and it only kicks in because I need groceries.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?

They should look and listen, and read and think, and play with ideas, and not be in any kind of hurry. Starting is not staring at the blinking cursor on the blank screen, or at a blank canvas, since I don’t think those are the first steps. We’ve all started already. We just haven’t all worked that out yet.

© all images and text Nick Earls, 2010.

Thanks to Nick for this very thoughtful contribution to the project, and the generosity and thoughtfulness in the ideas. I am particularly and immediately struck by one of Nick's benchmarks for success - did the end result mean something to someone? I suspect this is a big issue for many creative people, the question of who are you producing your creativity for. Personally I know that while there is an ongoing compulsion to express myself, the meaning in that comes primarily from that expression initiating some kind of connection or interaction with other people.

So, the Creativity Challenge for this month is 'simply' to consider who you would like your work to be meaningful to, and in turn what that then means to you.

Interview with RUNA ROSINA MENGES

2010-04-11T02:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the Black Sheep Pen, this month's interview is particularly exciting as the artist, Runa Rosina Menges, comes from my (new) hometown. I really love Runa's painting style, I've featured some of her work on other blogs after falling in love with them. So much colour and energy. Runa also does animations, her latest is worth viewing here on YouTube, and she also sings and plays music. As you might imagine, Runa is also an inspirational teacher, a lot of the art coming out of her classes is energetic and very cool!

Please enjoy Runa's insights and art here this month.

Runa's self portrait

What inspires you in your creativity?

In the case of painting, there are many different ways of getting inspired for me. Sometimes I have a walk through a flea market, searching for nothing special and find an album filled with old black and white photos by acciddent in between all the other stuff. In these moments I am touched by the fact that nobody remembers those pictured persons anymore and feel the need to remember them my way, even if nobody else does. And sometimes I recall a memory of a family story and I just have to start working with it. The paintings you see here deal exclusively with the topic of family and show some memories of my childhood.

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

I´m not a sketchbook-person although I was always told an artist has to sketch everything before painting. However, I´m rather a person who writes down the ideas that come to my mind and it has never happened that I read those notes without knowing what I meant afterwards. I have a small studio under the roof of the house I´m living in. Its very important for me to work at home and I´d never want to live without my tiny studio, especially because it’s a room I can always retire to and work all by myself in, although I love peoples’ company in general. There are lots of nails on the wall, which is drowned in paint, so I can put on every size of canvas. When the moment of standing in front of it has come, planning the painting occures very quick. I draw the scenery on it, sit down for a few minutes ,staring, and if I agree with what I´m seing I start painting. Most of the time I´m not planning the colours to use at all and trust my senses to decide. When I´m having a “break” I sit down on the sofa in my studio again and gaze at the painting, always finding some parts that have the option of getting done much better, so most times the break doesn’t last for a very long time because I´m starting painting again, and gazing, and painting and gazing. Sometimes it happens that I already say to myself in the beginning: “Runa, this painting wont work out!” But I could never leave one unfinished, so I go on working and working until I feel contented with it. When I look at my painting and reach the feeling the scenery has come alive for me, I know I´m finished and I surprise myself very often.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?

When I studied Fine Art at the Academy of Art and Design Offenbach I often brought my work to the lessons like everybody else did and we had a conversation about everybody’s tableau. In the beginning it often happened that I felt so proud of what I’d worked on because to me it meant a big step everytime. But as it always happens, there were critics that didn´t help me to move forward in any way and there were critics that helped me seeing my own work from another perspective. After feeling a bit dejected about the negative critics I felt new energy pushing me forward and worked on and on. The day came when I was so confident of my own work most criticism didn’t influence me anymore. That was the moment I started working free mindedly. An artist always produces something very personal and his/her art is a part of the artists personality. My paintings also represent a very personal part of myself. There will always be people who can’t accept me as a person. Why should I feel insecure if somebody can’t accept my art?

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

It depends on if you are talking about the financial or the personal success. (; For me everything is very exciting currently. My last “success” was my diploma when I finished studying. Now I´m starting to get connected to reality out there. I was never a dreamer so for me it was clear, it would be hard after finishing at the academy. At the moment I´m searching for new exhibitions to take part in and sending my animations to a lot of film festivals all over the world. I have several jobs dealing with art and I´m even working as a lecturer at the Academy I studied at. I don´t know if I´ll be successfull on the art market in future, if I´ll earn lots of money with my paintings or animations, but there’s one thing I´m already successfull with: I do what I always loved and I take the risk it offers.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?

The starting point always depends on the goal and theres no general recipe for it. As I´m teching painting to kids I always realise how freely kids paint. So, if you are a grown up: Try to turn off your brain before you feel the urge to create a masterpiece!

© all images and text Runa Rosina Menges

Thanks for sharing with us Rosina. I also find art is a very interesting and useful way of making and maintaining connections with the past. The creativity challenge for this month therefore is to create some kind of art work that in some way reflects the ways you have developed as an artist and a person over the past 10 years.

Interview with MARCIA SCHULMAN MARTIN

2010-03-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome again to the Black Sheep Pen, especially the new gang of Facebook fans! This insightful interview comes from photographer Marcia Schulman Martin, please enjoy and benefit from her wise and inspiring ideas.

Marcia's Self Portrait

© Marcia Schulman Martin

What inspires you in your creativity?

In 1974, I met my future husband Russ, an MFA student, in college. Soon I purchased a used medium format camera, and we began photographing together. As I acquired some of his technical expertise, good compositions seemed to come easily. Soon we were exhibiting together. Then, in 1977 I began a graduate program in Speech/Language Pathology, and abruptly gave up photography due to a lack of time.

Presently, I am retired from a career as a Speech/Language Pathologist . In 2005, on a whim, I entered older images in Black and White Magazine’s 2006 Portfolio Contest, and won a Merit Award. This was the catalyst for my return to photography after a hiatus of nearly 30 years. I then set a goal of winning a Spotlight in their 2007 Portfolio Contest, and indeed I did. That same year I was also published in Popular Photography. Creating a successful photograph gives me a sense of accomplishment. It is primarily a visual experience, and difficult to verbalize.

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

I have always been fascinated with the reflective qualities of water, and this has become the unifying theme for my body of work. My earlier images were captured in pristine mountain streams and ponds. When I returned to photography, I endeavored to find beauty in ordinary subjects that would otherwise go unnoticed.

My style of nature photography developed by accident. Being a novice, I underexposed the film, resulting in negatives with no shadow detail. The only way to save them was to use high contrast paper. This produced a rich tonality that I grew to love, and my images today have the same look.

The portfolio of floating leaves emerged from the idea of finding beauty in the mundane. The images were then processed to have higher than normal contrast, transforming them into something of beauty.

Where does your motivation and confidence come from to keep doing what you do?

Being published and receiving positive feedback from others has been inspirational. I have never feared rejection as an artist, and have not been afraid to submit my work. This is probably true, since I was educated in a different field, and have been successful at something else.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

Success can be gauged by external measures, such as exhibitions and publications, and by personal satisfaction. Since B&W magazine, I have been published a number of other times, exhibited, and gained representation. Although I am more successful than I ever dreamed, in an area (photography) that I never expected, I still feel that there is much more to accomplish.

There is an innate feeling of satisfaction that comes from creating something. I love having a successful body of work that I can look at, and say, “I did that”. It is the satisfaction that anyone who works with their hands can identify with.

Where should people start when they don't know where to start?

I guess they should do what inspires them. For me, following my husband’s passion, led me on a journey of discovery, unlocking my hidden aptitudes.

"Glistening"

"Mirrored Puddle"

"Placid"

"Stillness"

"Twilight Reflection"

Thanks for sharing your story and creativity with us Marcia. What particularly captivates me is the idea of transferring a sense of success in one area of life to my creative pursuits and output, what a powerful position from which to approach art - expecting to be successful! Our creativity challenge for the month is to take some time to reflect on all the ways we are and have been successful in life and to channel this exciting mindset into some creativity. It will have to be brilliant!

Interview with MICHAEL WERNER

2010-01-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

A grand start to 2010, the Black Sheep Pen interviews Michael Werner. Michael is a photographer and blogger from Germany, his photography specific blog "Two Way Lens" was the original inspiration for this project.

Please enjoy Michael's very honest and generous interview:

Michael's Self-portrait

© Michael Werner, 2010.

What inspires you in your creativity?

There are many things that inspire me in my creativity. It can be an article in a newspaper or a magazine, something I see on the street, a movie, music or a song title to be more precise. The same is true of a book. Many times it’s not the contents or story of the book itself that inspires me, it’s the title. I don’t even have to read it to be inspired. I know many things I wrote are just clichés and probably you have heard them many times before, but even in clichés there are many truths and I guess for creativity it is just this way. Sometimes I just sit quietly and something pops into my mind and this could lead into a wonderful work of art. You can’t force it, it just comes. For me, the best inspiration is life itself, I walk around with open eyes and an open mind. Sometimes I can’t even explain why this or that caught my attention.

Another big inspiration for me is travelling, seeing other cities, countries and cultures and again, walking around with open eyes and being curious about things that are different to my everyday life are the best inspiration. I grab my camera and love to just wander around and take photos of what ever is interesting for me. Being in an unfamiliar place makes it much easier, so many things catch my attention and curiosity. This does not happen so often in my home city.

A big inspiration for me was when I saw, in an art magazine, photos by Jack Pierson for the first time. It was like a dawn and this was the point when I really started working with photography. I was totally in love with Jack’s photos and wanted to do similar things. I guess this was the point when I got seriously infected by photography.

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

It is something within me. It’s hard to explain, I just have to do it, it is like a fever to create something. When I haven’t done anything creative for a while I get nervous and restless and even depressed, so I have to start again to stop this state. As soon as I start being creative, the feeling of satisfaction comes back and I just enjoy doing art. It all actually started when I began to study graphic design. I had to do many exercises in drawing, composition and so on. Everything I did was easy for me, I loved to do it and it felt great. It was the first time in my life I had the feeling of doing the right thing and it was exactly what I wanted to do. It was also the time when I got my first “professional camera”. My parents gave me a Canon A1 with two lenses as a Christmas present. This camera was my most precious possession and I started taking photos with it, first it was all part of the study. I had a small darkroom and developed B/W photos. After the study, I did mostly drawings, they were very surreal and Dali like, later I realized that it was like a psycho therapy for me. I was always a very shy and introverted person, full of self-consciousness and many times I was too scared to even leave the house. I was very depressed in this time and my drawings helped me to let all of it out. I didn’t know it at this time though. I just sat and drew what ever came into my mind. After this surreal drawing period I was in love with the American Pop Art. My heroes were Jasper Jones, Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol. I also changed the medium to pastel and my work got more colourful and more open. I started to collect art books and studied the work of my heroes, read a lot about art and step by step got more aware of what I am doing. The phase of self therapy was over and I felt more free to do what I wanted to do. It was still the process of sitting in front of an empty white peace of paper and just started without knowing how the work will look like when it’s finish.

Today I have a clear concept of what I want to do and then go out and shoot. I work on different projects with a clear vision but still leave space for spontaneous shots. At the moment when I take these photos I often don’t know exactly what to do with them, but finally they find their way into a project or series which isn’t even created yet. I shoot many photos for the different project, then work on the raw files and develop them how I want to have them and get the most out of them. Then comes probably the most important part, editing the photos and put a portfolio together that is strong and to the point of the concept of the series. This is the hardest part and many times it needs the help of someone else. I am very lucky that I have the best adviser you can image to work together with on the editing process.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?

As I already wrote above, first it was like a self therapy for my. I always had weak self confidence and doing art helped me in finding my place and feeling better and doing what felt the right thing for me. I could express myself in drawings, paintings and photography in ways I could have never done it in “real life” because I was just too scared of almost everything. First I started, it became like a fever I never got rid of and I never wanted get rid of. I love to create something beautiful, a work of art that gives people good feelings or associations. I want to show the beautiful side of life, the colours, the positive emotions, the funny moments in life. For me it’s such a wonder being able to give people good feelings through my art. I love what I do and am serious about what I create. I have a deep respect and love for people and animals and showing this in my art is what my motivation comes from. It also keeps me going on to create more. In the last two years, I really got more serious in taking my art more seriously and not just something that can be done when my time permits and when the other things, like cleaning the house, washing and so on are done. This is just a procrastination and I realized that my art has more worth for me than this.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

Success as a creative person for me hasn’t necessarily anything to do with financial or business success.

It has something to do with doing exactly what you want to do in your art. No matter if it is so called hip, trendy or in fashion. It has to come out of yourself and transform your inner-self into the outer world. If you are happy and satisfied with what you are doing and you have good feelings about what you created, than this is a success for me. First you work for yourself and when other people also like what you do than it’s great and wonderful. This is the icing on the cake. Being true to yourself and to your own creativity - this is success for me. Following trends or fashion can be fatal. First it might work, but the so called success won’t last long, because you don’t do it with your heart and people will notice it sooner or later. This is the opposite of success as a creative person for me.

Of course I also love to get recognition for what I am doing, and to exhibit my work is a wonderful thing. This gives me the chance to share what I love with others. To receive messages from people saying that my work inspired them or that they like what I am doing is also a beautiful success for me. I felt successful after my first museum show when I got the opportunity to live and work for some time in New York, in the studio of the Hessische Kulturstiftung (Cultural foundation of the State of Hesse, Germany). This was a reward of my work and it showed me I was on the right path. Today, having the opportunity to donate artworks for charity events like Visual AIDS and Masters Mystery Art Show and being able to give support is something I am really thankful for.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?

Find out what you love, what attracts you in the world or what disturbs you. These are the things you can start with. What medium fits with you? Is it painting, drawing, writing, dancing, theatre, photography or working with wood or clay or whatever else comes into your mind? Just do what you love, it can be anything and just do it for yourself. No one else even has to see it. It is only for you. Listen to your feelings and emotions and don’t try to do things you think others would like. First it has to be for you and only for you, be selfish in this way. No one else has to like it except you. Be kind to yourself and be open for new things or for surprises. Creativity has its own ways, allow it to lead you and you will be on your right path.

Copyright for all words and images, Michael Werner - 2010.

Thanks for this fascinating and open insight into your creativity Michael! Our creativity challenge for the coming month is to create an artwork, in whatever form or media you choose, that is just for yourself. Don't think about how it would be received or evaluated by anyone else, just form something beautiful that is exactly what you would like to make and see.

Interview with ELAINE SHIPP

2009-12-06T02:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the Black Sheep Pen, and the long awaited second installment. In fact, a special Christmas edition. This edition features Australian artist, Elaine Shipp, who I have known for 25 years, I think our friendship evolved from our status as Black Sheep even amongst the Black Sheep! While I am fascinated and inspired by those amongst you who are driven with a focussed passion for one art form, who can't get through the day without painting, or without writing, dancing or singing, I am also really amazed by people like Elaine who are driven by a more global creative energy that over the years finds expression in different ways and forms. Its exciting! Please make sure you keep reading till the end, as I've included one of Elaine's publish short stories that is now a fun part of my Christmas tradition.

Elaine's self portrait

What inspires you in your creativity?

What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?

Something that makes me smile, or feel some sort of emotion inspires me to start creating. When I was writing, it would sometimes just be a thought that would pop into my head and I would have to write and write to get the whole idea down on paper. With painting, it is a different process. Once I find what I want to paint, I just start drawing. I know with some pastel artists that they draw on paper first and then transfer to the support, but I prefer to draw onto the surface I have chosen. I am beginning to sketch in charcoal before painting, which is improving the quality of my work.

Pastels work layer upon layer. Sometimes in those first layers you can‘t see the finished painting at all, just a mass of colour. But as you add each new layer the image begins to grow and I get a thrill as I see the subject emerge from the painting. With paintings of animals or people, I have to paint the eyes first. Once they are right, everything else falls into place.

Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?

For quite a few years I was without a creative spark. Through bodywork (biodynamic massage) I began to feel the creative urge again. I started a writing course after I woke up one night with a fully formed story in my head that I had to get down on paper. That story was published as were several more. Criticism didn’t slow me down with writing at all, especially if it was constructive, it was just rewrite and more rewriting.

With pastel painting it is not too dissimilar. I just keep layering and layering the colour until the blend is right. If you make a mistake or something needs altering, it can be done. If something just isn’t working, I put it aside. I’m not going to waste energy worrying about it, I’ll just move on to the next piece as I can always revisit it in the future.

I am my own worst critic but there usually seems to be a point where I am happy with a painting, where I know that it is where I want it to be. I had problems doing the self-portrait for Black Sheep Pen. I really didn’t want to do it, but I had good motivation - friendship. I persevered and the final version I am happy with. I think that is what I do – I just hunker and down and get it done, even when the job is something I don’t want to do. Even if I collapse in a heap at the end of the journey, I keep going. Sometimes that can be positive, but other times it is better to let go.

Painting feels like freedom to me. In the moment of painting, I forget about everything around me and just focus on the painting in front of me. There are no issues, troubles, responsibilities in that space. This is a way to escape the everyday, which sometimes tends to overwhelm, and just focus on a process, a colour, a face.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?

I love to see a smile on someone’s face when they look at my paintings, or that moment of silence as they appreciate the artwork you have created. But I also get a great deal of pleasure knowing that I created something that I can give to someone to enjoy, that the painting or other hand-crafted item was made by me especially for them. I used to think that I needed someone else to say ‘That’s great’ or ‘How wonderful’ about something I have created, that I needed approval, but now it is how I feel about the piece that is important.

As far as success is concerned, it is early days yet. But it is a great feeling to see my paintings hanging on the walls at home, to have sold a few paintings, which means other people appreciate my work, to receive some awards in recognition of the work I am doing and to have my 5 year old daughter say that I am an artist, not just her mother, feels good.

Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?

I’ve never been one to play around with things – I like to be shown, so I get it right. Must be the perfectionist coming through! For a long time I thought about going to drawing classes but didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t the right time, or maybe I was procrastinating, fearful that I might not be any good, that I may not succeed, that I will fail. Fear is a bugger, isn’t it? So for me, to start was to go to a simple course at a community college and try drawing, an eight week course with no pressure, just to see what I could do. My confidence grew after that course and I looked around for an art class, which I found at my local arts & crafts group. I have been going to classes there for a couple of years and have been enjoying learning pastel painting.

My daughter starts school next year, so I am going to broaden my artistic training whilst she is at school. Formal training would be great as I would like to learn the proper techniques but at this time I choose to support my daughter’s start at school rather than go to an art college. She will only start school once; art school will be there the next year, or the year after. So I am going to make the most of my time - my local arts & crafts group offers classes in sculpture and pottery, and I am going to broaden my exposure to other media including watercolour, oils and acrylic over the next year.

So if you get the creative urge, learn something new, take a short course, ask a friend to teach you to knit/sew/draw, find a place like a local art group where you feel comfortable to create, and just go for it. I wish I’d done it sooner.

Thanks for sharing so generously Elaine! So, our creativity task for the month is to try something new and unthought of creativity wise. Why not try expressing one of your more successful ideas from your preferred medium in a completely new and unexpected form? Sculpt it in plasticine instead of painting, write about it instead of taking a photo. Enjoy the holidays, however and whatever you are celebrating, and please come back for more next year. Now, please enjoy Elaine's short story:

We Have the Technology

Captain Waldec glanced down at the report. His crew had been busy, but then he expected nothing less.

“The blue planet has no defense against us. Even their spacecraft are unarmed. I believe there will be little or no resistance.”

“No weapons at all?” Commander Pasturel sounded surprised.

“They have nuclear capabilities but we can neutralise them.”

“There is little time, Captain, before our fleet arrives. Ensure you have completed the research study of Earth.” The comms screen went blank.

The Captain turned to his First Officer. “Juro, concentrate on the satellites. Prepare to remove their communication array before the attack.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir?” Observation Officer Kinwe’s voice was raised in alarm. “I’m tracking a small craft… this just isn’t possible!”

“What is it?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it, sir. It’s travelling over the speed of light.” Kinwe checked the readings again.

“They don’t have that technology!” The Captain leant over the screen. “Can we move closer?”

“No, sir. We are undetected here.”

They watched as the blip on the screen accelerated and then stopped, and then repeated the process.

“What is it doing?” The Captain pondered aloud.

“Hopping, Sir.”

“I can see that with my own eyes, Officer Kinwe.”

“Sorry, Sir.” Kinwe swallowed and kept his eyes focused on the screen.

“To accelerate and decelerate in that short a time, the engine must be extremely powerful. Scan for more information.” The Captain paused and then murmured under his breath, “If they have concealed this, what else don’t we know?”

“The craft is three rimms by one rimm, and has ten life forms on board, sir.”

“Is that all?” The Captain began to pace. “To move that fast we would need an engine three times the size of that craft.” He stopped and gripped Kinwe’s shoulder. “Three rimms, you say?”

Kinwe nodded quickly. His hands flew over the console. “It’s impossible… impossible!” Kinwe muttered over and over as he scrambled to find out more. “I cannot get any readings on engines, weapons or what radio frequencies they use.”

“How can they mask those? Even we don’t have the technology to do that.” Alarm flashed across the Captain’s face before he hid it behind his usual stern expression.

“Captain, shall I contact Command?” Juro asked.

The Captain squared his shoulders. “Yes, tell them to abort. Kinwe, pull yourself together and gather every detail you can about that craft.” Who knows what they have aimed at us! he thought. “Pilot, get us out of here.”

Flying across the Pacific, Santa Claus turned towards Australia. He liked the southern hemisphere – much warmer this time of year.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!”

The sleigh began to descend into Sydney, a little red beacon lighting its way.

Interview with JAN HARRISON

2009-09-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Black Sheep Pen, and our first ever interview - with artist Jan Harrison. Jan creates work on paper, sculpture and also does vocal performance art, all of which you can experience on her homepage. I was fortunate to meet Jan and Alan for dinner in NYC in May 2009, we had a very pleasant meal in a cafe playing extremely loud music. The waiters told us they were trying to attract the "club crowd", which we certainly weren't part of. I'm sure they would have turned it down had they realized they were entertaining angels unaware! Here are Jan's words:

Jan's self portrait

I know you as a visual artist, in what other ways do you use your creativity?

Creativity takes many forms in the lives of my partner, Alan Baer, an architect, and myself. Our house is like a world. It is a three-story brick townhouse built in 1869, and it is covered in vines. Our house is across a lane from a park with a wonderful two hundred year old maple tree, which we saved from being cut down this summer. Inside our house, we live with my art, and the work of other artists. I love color, and it is a part of my life. We live with five cats, all rescued strays, and one feral cat. The cats are an integral part of our lives, and they inspire my work greatly. We are creative in the kitchen...Alan is a wonderful cook. We were creative when we made the decision twenty years ago to move to the Hudson Valley in New York, from the Mid-western United States, instead of moving to New York City. We wanted to live near the mountains, but still be close to the city. We live about two hours from New York City. In recent years, many creative people have moved to the Hudson Valley, joining an already exciting and interesting group of people who were already there. Our friends are artists, composers, writers, and poets. Many creative people contribute to the tapestry of the life we live here.

What is the process you work through in being creative, for example producing a sculpture or work on paper?

I work on the floor. It seems right for me...almost like a form of prayer. When working on the new pastel and ink work, “The Corridor Series,” I make a five-inch border on the rag paper, which remains white. This creates a kind of sacred space for the imagery to evolve……..And the images do evolve...One being becomes another being, as I caress the surface of the pastel on rag paper with my hands. Sometimes the animals in my work originate from photographs I have taken of animals, and sometimes directly from animals, or from other animal images. Having never studied sculpture, I have found my own way to work with the clay. The sculptures also evolve as I work...the animals often twist around as I let them become the way they need to be. In addition to visual art, I speak and sing in “Animal Tongues,” which I have performed with the animal sculptures as mask-like beings. I began speaking in “Animal Tongues” in 1979 after having created “The Tongue Drawing” a book-like work on waterproofed paper, attached to a drinking water fountain. The viewer would drink the water, which would flow down the drawing. I usually work in series, and often circle back around to earlier work.

Many of us have been ridiculed or misunderstood both in our wish to be creative and in what we create. Where does your confidence and motivation come from, to keep doing what you do?

My motivation comes from feeling that I have been given an urgent request to bring these works of art into the world. It is as if the beings in my art have a need to “come down,” and it is up to me to make sure they become works of art. I had to have a job for many years to support myself, but I always made the time to create art, working in a job four days, and in the studio three days a week. By consistently working, I have created a full body of art from 1979 to the present. For the past several years, I have been able to work in the studio full time...and it is wonderful.

I have never been blessed with a great deal of self-confidence. I think that is partly because I have dyslexia, and right and left are confusing to me. Learning in school was difficult. But I do have courage, which makes up for the lack of self-confidence. Even when times have been difficult, I have continued working...because creating art, for me, is a form of meditation, a necessary part of my life. I work in order to live and see the world more clearly. I work to be closer to something spiritual, wild, gentle, dangerous, loving, kind, sacred, profane, comforting, and pure, which I find in the “beingness” of animals.

How do you evaluate your success as a creative person? What makes what you do meaningful to you?

I have been able to tap into what I love, and bring it into art. I am tenacious and I care deeply about what I do. But, I also have a sense of humor. I can laugh at myself, which keeps me honest.

Success has come in various ways. It has been said that my work has been an influence in the investigation of the animal/human interface. My art has been in more than a hundred exhibitions throughout the United States, in Europe and Canada. It is in museum collections, and it is in books, and taught in universities. Over a hundred essays, articles and reviews have been written about my work. But, although these things can be put in a resume, I don’t think they are really the measure of success as a creative person.

Here is how I define success: A successful artist is a person who is able to create something that manifests their truth...a perception that they feel they need to bring to the world. A successful creative person is someone who continues to create no matter what happens. I respect many artists. They are not all extremely successful in the art market, or in the art status structure. Some are, and some aren't. Some of the ones I respect have been overlooked. But I still consider them to be successful, because they have succeeded to give the world their vision, even though the world does not always acknowledge their worth...In other words, I define a successful career as much more than just external validation.

I love to exhibit my work, because I love to share it with other people. I am delighted when someone purchases my art. But, even that is not a true measure of success for an artist.

What I do is meaningful to me because it helps me to live in the world. I am working for my character…and the work I do brings me closer to my true self, and to a universal self…This comes to me through close association with the animal nature, and with animals.

Where should people start, when they don’t know where to start?

I think the best place to start is by acknowledging two things: What do you love in the world? … and … What breaks your heart in the world?

Listen to your body. It has wisdom, and will help you in your quest for creativity. Listen to your inner self, and don’t work with external reward in mind.

Start with the first thing that comes to your mind—then try not to think too much. Work to get beyond the need to create physical perfection. Let yourself reach past narcissism. Get beyond cynicism.

Pay attention to what mattered to you as a child. Let yourself play!

It is like going down a path. Just start, and see where it leads you. Let discoveries happen. Be open to surprises!

Most importantly, be a friend to your vision.

Thanks Jan, for this compelling and inspiring interview. I want this blog to be more than just a collection of interesting things each month, rather a set of stepping stones that we can use to develop our own creativity. As a creativity coach I would often use Jan's words - don't think too much, follow your instincts and feelings. In terms of psychological research there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the more we ponder and think, the less we actually do. Its also wonderful to hear how Jan has counteracted her lower self confidence with a more powerful courage. Wisdom for all of us, play off your strengths against your weaknesses.

So, lets honor Jan and what she has shared this month with this creative challenge:

Forget about your weaknesses but make a list of your strengths be they specific talents or parts of your personality. Then, with only those strengths in mind, create some spontaneous artwork - draw, paint, sing, write, dance - just to sum up your unique excellence. You are already a success. And please share with us how it went.