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Your elusive creative genious

Recently, watched this TED talk by famous author Elizabeth Gilbert, and found it really interesting. She expressed her views on a much discoursed topic- how creativity and suffering are related. You meet a person and ask him what you want to be. There's a very low chance that you'll hear something like I want to be a writer or artist or musician or anything that requires mainly of creativity. And there's a high chance you will suspect his or her sanity.

In my opinion intelligence and creativity follow different functionality of the thought process. If quoted in a single sentence- intelligence is the convergence process of various data or premises resulting into a conclusion. While creativity is divergence process of a conclusion to various premises or forms. If you got me what I just tried to explain, kudos to me.

Creative people are always surrounded by questions like- aren't you afraid you're never going to have any success? Aren't you afraid of the humiliation of rejection? Aren't you afraid that you'll work for whole life with this craft and nothing ever going to come you? And the simple answer to it is, YES, they all are. 

The most tormenting thought is being crushed by your own success. Most of the anxiety and restlessness come from the thought that will I be ever to do better than this. Often these magnificent creative minds can't bear and die young and often at their own hands. Its not a big surprise, because from ages we have been hearing that creativity and suffering are inherently related.

So what's next? Is this notion be the end for all creative minds out there? Elizabeth came with a promising concept of demons or creative spirits. And this is a old one- even Romans and Greece followed it. People believed that creativity did not come from the individual but a distant source of energy- called the demons or the creative spirits. But as the renaissance came. We had the big idea of science. Every aspect of life started being reasoned. This was the time when we started believing that the individual itself was a genius than having a genius and this was where everything went wrong.

The thoughts in a creative writing, the charm in some of the greatest musical works, the profoundness in a artists work sometimes crosses all the limits of human believes and it becomes a wonderment to even the creator about its origin. The weight of this divine energy is too heavy for the creator to account for. This is like asking man to swallow the sun. All this creates unimaginable expectations. And the pressure of that is responsible for all the suffering.

So why not consider it that way, why not account for that distant energy which every creator feels, as if someone is helping out with our work. Gilbert quoted with the example of a famous poet Ruth Stone. Ruth said she heard  fragments of poem(coming with the wind) while working in the fields, and she had to run down her cottage to grab a pen and a paper to write it down before she missed it. To increase your amazement she also mentioned that once she almost missed the lines but grabbed the tail of the lines in the air and wrote it as it was word by word on paper but backwards, from the last word to first!

How to learn to Draw.

My blog title says LEARN, so it would be too bad if I haven't yet posted any "How to draw" post. Alright, if you are viewing this blog, then it might be you have some interest in art. Even remote interest will do. I'm saying so because most people (including me once), don't know they have a thing for art. Its like discovering yourself. It is like finding a new friend. And good friends do give you happiness, right?

Now that you have realized you like art, it doesn't require any special dexterity to be an adequate artist. If you have been seeing some artworks around you would be pretty amazed by the artist's work. Even most of you would comment like "what's in this one, I don't have a clue what its about?"

So, why draw? Answer would be as simple- because you like to! Not because you want to be a artist- this must be the attitude. People like to watch TV, play pool, sleep, etc. You just like to draw. That's it.

Before starting by "how to draw" better would be "How to learn to draw". Lets start with few definitions. Like whats the difference between sketch and draw. To sketch is to have an apparent idea of whats in your mind on a piece of paper. It may be very rough but your idea should be reflected. To draw is a much more refined sketch. Clear line strokes, neat and to the point.

Most effective ways to start with-

1. Learn to observe things.
2. Start with drawing objects- still life.
3. Try to get abstract of everything. Its the most powerful element of good drawing. All great artist follow this. I'll get to this later.
4. Draw as much as possible.

What I did initially was, put a object in front of me- it might be any thing like a box, bottle, crockery, fruits, chair, table, a book, table lamp, and the list goes on. Believe me this is the best way to start with. This would help you to learn about lines and strokes. At first don't try to shade, just sketch down the basic lines of the object.

Try with that for a week or two, you would start feeling the differences in your strokes. You will unconsciously learn about the pressure you put on page.

a friend of friend's portrait

Graphite on A4

This portrait is totally a stranger's. Generally I won't sketch on someone's request. But this friend showed real patience and endurance to make me this, just to gift it as a birthday present.  So I do allow people to misuse myself. And one more thing, I did find this girl really gorgeous. You might even see it. Loved her hairs flowing like a water fall. Her eyes so perfect. So, it was a kind misuse which I loved. Ha aha.

Few words to start with- art and words!

"all art and no words makes an artist an uninteresting one..."

This would be a short talk about. I'll tell you straight that I haven't written anything like this ever. No diary writings, no letter writing, in short I am no good in expressing myself with written words. So I feel this urge to do as much as possible. The current bad situation is, that I have no popular blog. In fact may be I'm writing this, is because no one will read it. It's a high possibility that if you are reading this you might be the first one to read. Too bad huh, but its fine, I'll write it anyways.

Firstly, I'll write about myself, being as short as it is possible. I'm an engineering student here in lucknow. An average student, who tries to excel in every thing I wish to do. I like sketching. Yes I LIKE sketching and not LOVE it. In fact I think I like sketching because it's the only thing I feel I'm good at, and love is way unconditional. So I say it, I like sketching. God, there's so many things to do in this world. You can never survive with one. Often I meet people asking me why don't take your skills seriously, get some degree and be a pro. All I answer to them is, I'm as good in other things- my academics, engineering etc. as in art. I have plans for future, but am not gonna discuss. Because someone told me ones that once you discuss your plans with someone- plans you really wish- remain plans and never turn real.

That would be enough for the first time. I'm already feeling I'm writing a diary because no one reads these rarely visited blogs. I'm writing and keep writing with the thought that may be some day...

Good bye, have a great day!

KUSHAL TANDON CARICATURE- BIGG BOSS

Kushal Tandon is a Television actor who recently got his name and fame through realty TV program Bigg Boss season 7. He got the viewers profound attention due to his love affair with Gauhar Khan.

Caricature SHAHRUKH KHAN and DEEPIKA PADUKONE- chennai express