Art is: A Creative Process

“Process” by Austin McRae

If you search the internet for quotes about art or definitions of art, you will find the words “create,” “creative” and “creativity” used over and over again. A few examples:

• James Russell Lowe, the American poet, said that “Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.”

 

• “Creativity is at the heart of art. … By harnessing their creativity, artists can explore new ideas, challenge societal norms, and offer fresh insights into the human experience.” (Essay on Art and Creativity, Aitor.com.)

 

• Art is “the application of human creativity and imagination.” (Eden Gallery.com.)

 

The word “creativity” appears in each of these quotes, but note that it is used in conjunction with words like “making,” “harnessing” and “application.” Art is more than just creativity. It is a creative process regardless the type of art – writing, dance, painting, music, sculpture or others.

Nearly 100 years ago, in 1926, George Wallas, a social psychologist and cofounder of the London School of Economics, created a widely accepted model of the creative process in his book “The Art of Thought”. He identified four specific steps in the creative process:

1. Preparation: Preparation includes research, assembling resources and ideas. For a visual artist this could include photographs and sketches, visits to art galleries to look at other artists’ work, and collecting items that may inspire.

2. Incubation: Incubation is a time to simply think about those resources and ideas. It’s a time to let your subconscious take over. It’s a time to play with the materials collected and look at those resources.

3. Illumination: Illumination is the “AHA!” moment when the direction of the work becomes clear.

4. Verification: Verification is the final step—the implementation or execution of the idea.

Incubation and Verification are often the longest steps in the creative process. However, it should be noted that these steps are not necessarily separate or orderly. Sometimes the steps overlap or may even be simultaneous. There are no time constraints. The process can take years or occur in a relatively short period of time.

Today, if you search the internet you will find many “creative process in art,” blogs, on-line programs and articles addressing the subject. Many of these use Wallas’ model, others modify or expand on it. “Inspiration” may be added as an early step that leads to the Preparation. Verification may be broken into more than one step, e.g., “Evaluation,” a step in which various plans of execution can be tested, and “Implementation.” And many artists modify the steps to reflect what works for them.

However, the number of steps in the process or what the steps are called, is not really important — the concept of art as a creative process is. The creative process allows you as an artist “to explore and develop your artistic vision while also enabling you to overcome obstacles and produce work that is both meaningful and impactful.” (The Importance of A Creative Process — Michelle
Gibbs Art, michellegibbs.co.uk.)

— Pat Jackson

Pat Jackson at the Keuka Arts Festival