First, please let me start by saying that, much like the past blog entry, what I write about is not always involving the Entropia Universe or the current state of the Planets or game play. That said, I would also like to point out that, although there are many debates on whether Video Games are forms of art or not, this post is simply about artistic inspiration and how I go about my process. If you would like to comment about those two other subjects here, then by all means go ahead, but note that it is not the intention of the blog post. First, I live by the famous French film maker Jean-Luc Godard's quote, "It's not where you take things from, it's where you take them to." Without getting into a Copyright or Marxist debate as well, I would like to explain what that definition means to me. What I believe this quote to mean is that as an artist, I should worry less about trying to be one hundred percent original and rather let inspiration flow from my feelings and mind's eye. If I see a painting of a flower, I should not sit there and force myself to come up with something that is more beautiful than that flower, rather let the beauty inspire something new and unique as a result of that flower's inspiration. Worrying that my art is somehow going to be perceived as a copy of "this or that" would just stop me all together from creating it in the first place. I like to use the Monster example. Have Monsters been killed to death in stories, art, comics, etc? Yes they have. But those stories, comics, games etc. will always succeed because every year we have a new batch of people on this planet who have never experienced what it's like to be scared of a Monster. And let me tell you, that generation does not want to be scared by our monsters, they want new ones that fit more into their time in the world. Much like an old black and white Monster movie would do little to scare me as a child, so will the Monsters of my generation do little to frighten my future grandchildren. One should not create a Monster game because they think I would like it or not, they should do it because there is a whole segment out there that is waiting for their turn at the monster genre. On caveat to this though, is that you should know your audience if you expect it to be a commercial hit, and the art in all of this lies in the original auteur vision of what it should be. I am also one that just can't believe in true artistic blocks. If you are blocked then it is probably because you are trying to force art or inspiration. Going with the artistic flow is of the utmost importance in true art. If I listen to a piece of music and an idea for a painting is my first reaction, then I should paint. I could, however, after listening to that song attempt to write my own song but that's not where inspiration has lead me. Perhaps I am not a painter, and perhaps what was in my head was not what I was able to produce on canvas, but that is not the point of me creating that painting. Inspiration is just that, inspiration. It's not an order or a command that must be followed to exact specifications. If I would try and force that painting rather then let my abilities produce what may, then I am yet again reaching that unnatural block. Better to flow with the inspiration and let the art come alive than to sit back, become frustrated at my inabilities and ultimately miss out on one of the greatest gifts we have as mankind. The ability to express art is just that, a human gift that cannot be truly ever defined or categorized. Please do not confuse talent with art. Of course I understand that Leonardo was more talented than I with a brush, but I would never let someone tell me that what I produce is not art and believe them. I can guarantee you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would not think twice about having the Mona Lisa over my daughter's first drawing, I would rather have my daughter's first drawing. That's just the way I see it though, and it's up to everyone to make their own choices.That said, I do not go out and look for inspiration, rather I try and live in a one hundred percent state of constant openness and flexibility. If an artistic obstacle comes along, I look for the positive effect it might have in another facet of my art. As far as letting inspiration hit, I do believe there are better ways to go about being open and ready for inspiration. One exercise I highly recommend comes from Julia Cameron and her book, The Artists Way, and that is morning pages. Morning pages simply explained is, the process of writing down whatever comes to mind for the first 5-10 minutes of your day. You wake up and free write what ever flows through your mind. It's that simple and it really helps. If you would like more info on that though I recommend looking her up. Anyway, back to inspiration. One of the biggest enemies of inspiration is the reluctance to accept it. You may be rejecting inspiration in many different ways throughout the day because of preconceived notions or past negative experiences. It's natural but it does prevent one from reaching true artistic potential. I will let you decide what I mean by this. I can however say, that if you do or do not do something because of a fear (in the artistic example, I am not telling you to go wrestle crocs or swim with Great White sharks here ) then you are most probably hampering your art. People stop themselves because more often then not, fear will paralyze them from even starting. Inspiration hates this and will most probably come back to haunt you in the form of regret later on in life. Once again, sorry this is so long. It's a one draft so it might be rather messy. I am using this blog to get these thoughts off my mind. If it comes off a bit preachy, well then sorry but maybe I can be a bit preachy lol. How does it pertain to Games? Well in case you did not know, I consider Games and especially MMO's art despite what Mr. Roger Ebert might say. (Let the flames begin!)
I'd agree with you about fear or rather a persons perceived fear can hamper their "art". I am a college tutor and I come across this problem all the time in my students. Some students never completely overcome this. It can be a reflection of their lack of confidence. The exercise that I quite like is to draw completely random lines and shapes on the board and get some volunteer students to do the same. After we've all "attacked" the board and turned it into a rigth mess :) I ask them to pick out something that they may see in the picture. I pick out something first to give them an idea what i'm on about. With some luck, this will trigger something in many students and they'll start imagining various different things from the "mess" :) Bonus part is I also get the students who say they can't draw to challenge their thinking because clearly they would have drawn something be it a mess :) Inspiration and creativity is something thats very personal and one of the most difficult things to teach. I like this particular exercise because everyone can do it no matter what their abilities and can be a good way to ignite someones creativity/imagination... Personally I'm one of those people that can have too many creative ideas. Many of which will be forgotten about as I don't bother recording them. Also we are limited in how we make use of them due to what we do in life and lifes necessities. For example if someone is a bus driver and comes up with a brilliant idea for a computer game, no matter how brilliant and creative the idea due to his position in society that idea will most likely never be realised.
its all in the doin if you like it others can think interptret it what ever way they will your happiness with the end product is all
I can totally relate to those thoughts when it comes to music. I think with a lot of music today sure it may have talent but it lacks feeling. On the whole Monster trip. I've been trying to figure out how do you create a good monster. You look at the world today and it's all vampires and werewolves zombies. I'd like to see something new something that would generate history like the vampires did.
Thank you once again for such a great and thought-provoking post Ed. Something that many do in expressing themselves is end up apologizing for one thing or another, such as presenting a long post. I'm very well known for lengthy posts, but that's because I have something to share, and I use to warn everyone at the beginning of a post (in red) that it was a long-ass post. However, anyone complaining about it today gets politely told that they have a choice ... to read, or not to read. It's not being disrespectful, it's just giving the message that I have my own style of sharing, and I will not stifle myself in doing so because someone doesn't have the patience to read. I respect and appreciate that my lengthy posts are not for everyone, but I'm ok with that. I realize that we apologize because we want to be thoughtful of others, but what we end up doing is short-changing ourselves sometimes in the process. Opinions and perspectives are always subjective, as is interpretation of the printed word, which is (according to research) 7% of how we communicate (38% tone of voice, 55% body language), and it leaves room for inaccuracies and misinterpretation. That's why it is very challenging at times to successfully communicate at a forum, especially one that is so globally diverse. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and like GeorgeSkywalker, I am a college educator in a discipline that plays a role in just about every aspect of our lives ... psychology. In addition to teaching the usual course material, there are always 3 specific goals ... (1) elevate level of awareness; (2) increase level of critical thinking; and (3) each student must report once a week what inspired them to think or act differently. The transformation from day 1 until the last day after 14 weeks is nothing less than amazing, but ... what is amazing is that their elevated level of awareness allows them to have what I call "ah ha moments" that become their inspirations. As a society, we spend far too much time being critical, rather than looking at the value of what a person has to offer. People often fear the opinions of others, and in doing so, give away their power to allow themselves to be more expressive. No one wants to be judged, but what we do is give more value to what others think than what we think about our own value. False Evidence Appearing Real It's not what others say or do that causes us fear, or withholding our creativity or expressiveness, but rather how we interpret what others say and do, and in turn what we say to ourselves about it. No one has control of our cognitive process but ourselves. The majority of our behaviors are learned, because we sure as hell aren't born the way some behave. We get so caught up in our social environment through conditioning that we often can't find our way out. Inspiration comes from anywhere and at any time, and I love that it is so spontaneous. We just need to allow ourselves the freedom to embrace it when it happens naturally, and not work hard to find it. Your posts Ed are nothing short of inspiring ... look where it took me. ;)
