Yesterday I wrote about and illustrated Cleese’s creative process and then took up the challenge of following it. So how did it go? In a word – badly. That was the judgment at the end of this trial run. When one follows Cleese’s pattern of operation
- He suggests that one provide Space – freedom from all distractions. The space was provided, but not immediately.
- Time – the time followed exactly the pattern of step three where one sits down, but instead is distracted to do other things – I ended up doing a number of things to clear the time so that it would be unimpeded – and that was basically dishonest
- Time – Once started, I found myself charging in too fast – probably in response to steps one and two above
- Confidence – I started with too much and then noted it waned as I proceeded, instead of the other way around
- Humour – comes more slowly. I stopped after nearly an hour and a half and accepted that I had ruined the original drawing. The light of day confirms that impression.
So the choice now is give up or keep going
- I’ll go the second route. After all, this project was the second try on the subject. Sometimes it takes more than one – and learning as one goes. It’s not about perfection – it’s just about better. This time it isn’t about drawing. It’s about learning the process. Stay tuned.
Dynamic Thinker 