Whim

I like the idea of a whim. How does it come to you? What piques someone to follow the whim further? I would guess instinct. Can instinct be wrong? Sometimes. I think, on a large enough scale, enough whims will have continuity.

I can say I experience "inspiration"--in that stereotypical lightning bolt kind of way. Chuck Close says, "Inspiration is for amateurs." I think a good result happens when you trust your instinct and follow the idea through to the end, which takes discipline. You've directed yourself, and maybe you've even obtained some mastery. For me, my doubts always come with the purpose, with why I have decided to do something. This is kind of absurd; if there is tons of art about [insert subject matter here--your brain knows where to go], surely it's fine to do what I do. I like absurdity but it's not terribly practical. Maybe that's ok. I think about balancing usefulness in my everyday life, relieving excess practicality in the world around me.

So-- trust, doubt, a path, many paths, obstruction, questions. I have heard, "paint what you want to paint and the rest will follow." I want to make that leap. An old professor of mine, Clifford Wun, said, "Painting* is an act of courage." I believe him.

There are a lot of ideas out there, things distract. How can I channel the rush from sudden inspiration and preserve it through the making of a work? I suspect the answer is to just make more.

Twombly, Coronation of Sesostris 7, 2000

Ingres, Paganini, 1819

Some food for thought:
The Science of Motivation - a video explanation of money and motivation
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami
Art and Fear by Orland and Bales


*can be applied to any method of making art