Visual Language Magazine Contemporary Fine Art Vol 4 No 1

VL
Barry W. Scharf
A CREATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
By Barry W. Scharf
Now that we have entered the new year of 2015, I
have been contemplating what makes a person creative
and how they arrive at an expressive output. I
often go through thoughts of how I can better myself
and improve my work and a few questions always
come to mind. The why and how of what makes me
an artist.
To answer this question we must look at the characteristics
that make a person want to be creative.
What is it that sets them apart from the crowd First
they must be inquisitive. They are always looking at
the world and asking questions about what they see.
What is that out there Why is it this way Is there
more to this then meets the eye How can I know
more about this
I believe these types of questions are historically the
basis of what great masters have asked in order to
form unique answers to what otherwise are images
and forms that have already been expressed. They
did not follow trends of their time but instead, by asking
questions set new ones in motion.
Next they are aware of their reality. They are sensitive
to the feelings and emotions they are having.
They are paying attention to sensory input that they
receive through sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing
and that elusive extra input that comes through intuition.
Most importantly they are present in the moment
undistracted from their reality with past or future
thoughts. Locked in an embrace with the content of
experience and the present moment of expression.
They dance the dance of creativity, INPUT…CON-
TENT…EXPRESSION.
At the same time what is avoided in a successful
creative process is equally important as what is embraced.
Most important is to overcome fear. Fear is
the most crippling component to the creative process.
It causes doubt and self-consciousness that
inhibits the free flow of ideas and process.
Another debilitating element is judgment. By this I
mean avoid the inner critic that is forever judging
every move you make. The “critic” can cause hesitation,
leading to questioning the conviction of your
expression, which will only lead to producing a watered
down and over thought version of what you
were truly after.
Now if this sounds difficult and a lot like work…it is!
True creativity is not for dabblers or the faint of heart.
It has been and always will be a place of strong exception,
a place where fleeting moments of genius
are captured and translated into the expressive act.
Great works of art often demonstrate a glimpse into
the mind of the “artistic warrior” that have found the
key to bringing together mind, body and spirit into
a single moment of expressive fervor to produce
something of a great value of consciousness in the
world.
http://barrywscharf.squarespace.com/
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