Making Art

Coming up with ideas for art projects can be one of the most difficult things about being an art major. I always have lots of ideas that I'm interested in for my work, but it comes to assignments its a lot more difficult. Every once in a while I might have an old idea that I've been wanting to try and it fits perfectly into an assignment. The majority of the time, however, this is not the case. I usually have no idea what to do for a particular project and find myself scrambling at the last minute to think of something.

I think a major part of the problem is how busy it is being a student. I usually have too many school assignments, church events, errands to run or too much time spent at work to really focus on my art. 90% of the art I make is for school, so I don't really have time develop my own work. Although a lot of my more successful works have been created in the midst of all this and with no time at all, I find its good to have time to spend relaxing or clearing my head.

There are a few things that work for me. I find a quick walk or running with no set goal, to be a really useful method for clearing my head. If I have a lot going on at the moment, I often find it is a good way of getting a way from it. In life, it seems we always have somewhere to be or something to do, but by running to nowhere in particular, I am able to get away from confines like time and destinations. Getting away from these confines helps to clear my head and allows me to think about things that I would otherwise be too busy to think about.

This is very useful when I am making art. I work and go to school and a lot of the time I am too busy with both to create art outside of school. Most of the art I make in school is very restricted in method and criteria, so it is nice to be able to get away every once and a while and create art that I am actually interested in. Unfortunately, if you sit down and decide you are going to make art right now, it is impossible to do so. Art is something that comes to you spontaneously and you can’t simply tell yourself to make art. When I need to get away from everything and clear my head for new ideas to come in, running is a very useful tool for me.