Comments on: Three Ways to Assess Your Own Creative Work http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/ inspiring creative professionals Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:19:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Resolutions Round Up | All Things Metal Clay http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-124726 Resolutions Round Up | All Things Metal Clay Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:03:46 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-124726 [...] Mark McGuiness has a great article, “Three Ways to Assess Your Own Creative Work,” here. [...] [...] Mark McGuiness has a great article, “Three Ways to Assess Your Own Creative Work,” here. [...]

]]> By: Mark McGuinness http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-121040 Mark McGuinness Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:23:13 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-121040 Lauren - glad to hear your mum provides such a reliable litmus test for your work. My mum seems to enjoy my poems, I don't think she'd be so keen to be consulted every time though... Lauren – glad to hear your mum provides such a reliable litmus test for your work. My mum seems to enjoy my poems, I don’t think she’d be so keen to be consulted every time though…

]]> By: lauren http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-121000 lauren Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:24:59 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-121000 i never thought of looking at my artwork in a mirror before! upside down and sideways, yes, but in reverse? wow! i'm going to try it sometime! i always ask my mum. if she's pretty sure she likes it and wants to know more, then i'm on the right track. if she just plain ol' doesn't get it, it's time to rework it a little. i never thought of looking at my artwork in a mirror before! upside down and sideways, yes, but in reverse? wow! i’m going to try it sometime!

i always ask my mum. if she’s pretty sure she likes it and wants to know more, then i’m on the right track. if she just plain ol’ doesn’t get it, it’s time to rework it a little.

]]> By: Mark McGuinness http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-119956 Mark McGuinness Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:07:52 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-119956 Hi Folks, thanks for the great comments. Sorry for the delay in responding, I've been away for work and my blog is in need of attention! Pamela - yes, that's pretty well how I do it, at least for a longer piece of work. My first draft can be incredibly sketchy but if I've got to the end then it feels as though I've got something to work with - revision feels a lot less daunting than writing! It certainly works for you to judge by your bibliography, very impressive. Rex - love your suggestions. I wish I could turn the volume up on a poem! Maybe I could shout it from the rooftops. Actually reading it out loud is a good way of finding problems in a poem - if it's awkward to read, there's something not quite right. I'll try your obfuscating words suggestion. Michael - thanks, great description of your working method. I'd never have thought of the lorry's rear view mirror! I sometimes use the mirror technique on poems - you can tell a lot about a poem by its shape on the page, and you can get similarly 'blind' to this if you spend too long looking at it. Some fascinating stuff on your blog, really makes me appreciate the craft that goes into animation. Hi Folks, thanks for the great comments. Sorry for the delay in responding, I’ve been away for work and my blog is in need of attention!

Pamela – yes, that’s pretty well how I do it, at least for a longer piece of work. My first draft can be incredibly sketchy but if I’ve got to the end then it feels as though I’ve got something to work with – revision feels a lot less daunting than writing! It certainly works for you to judge by your bibliography, very impressive.

Rex – love your suggestions. I wish I could turn the volume up on a poem! Maybe I could shout it from the rooftops. Actually reading it out loud is a good way of finding problems in a poem – if it’s awkward to read, there’s something not quite right. I’ll try your obfuscating words suggestion.

Michael – thanks, great description of your working method. I’d never have thought of the lorry’s rear view mirror! I sometimes use the mirror technique on poems – you can tell a lot about a poem by its shape on the page, and you can get similarly ‘blind’ to this if you spend too long looking at it. Some fascinating stuff on your blog, really makes me appreciate the craft that goes into animation.

]]> By: Michael http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-119243 Michael Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:29:19 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-119243 For the visual artists among us, the mirror is our best friend when we need to see our work as if for the first time. Turn your back to your work, raise the mirror to eye level and look at the canvas / drawing board in reverse over your shoulder. All the weaknesses of the composition that your eye had become immune to are suddenly revealed by the unaccustomed viewpoint, and the bad contrasts are exposed, and even your colour harmonies can be laid bare by the new angle on your work. For best effect use a lorry's rear view mirror so as to see your work in reverse and in miniature simultaneously. I used to use this technique in a huge studio, painting roadside billboards to see my work "at a distance". (In lontano) In Photoshop, just flip the entire image horizontally and zoom out! :) We all need to step out of the frame occasionally. For the visual artists among us, the mirror is our best friend when we need to see our work as if for the first time. Turn your back to your work, raise the mirror to eye level and look at the canvas / drawing board in reverse over your shoulder. All the weaknesses of the composition that your eye had become immune to are suddenly revealed by the unaccustomed viewpoint, and the bad contrasts are exposed, and even your colour harmonies can be laid bare by the new angle on your work.
For best effect use a lorry’s rear view mirror so as to see your work in reverse and in miniature simultaneously. I used to use this technique in a huge studio, painting roadside billboards to see my work “at a distance”. (In lontano)
In Photoshop, just flip the entire image horizontally and zoom out! :)

We all need to step out of the frame occasionally.

]]> By: Rex Gibson http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-118849 Rex Gibson Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:27:23 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-118849 This is an absolutely neccesary process in the creative process. in music production all three tactics listed here are applicable. Another modes I use: Difference in Intensity. I commonly make mistakes where something is out of balance in relationship to other elements of my work. As a method of combating this mistake I use volume as a "variable". So, I will turn the music up REALLY loud and feel it literally physically. The air of the speakers pushing against my clothes. However often times I actually gain the most perspective from listening to the music as extremely quite levels where the music is barely percievable. Then scrutinize the sound to see what is still perceptible. I would imagine perhaps that this would translate to other creative mediums as well. Visual seems the most logical in things like changing the transparency of an image when working in a digital format. But what about Filtered glasses or something for physical mediums? What about writing? Is it possible to change the physical intensity at which one perceives words? Perhaps obfuscating every other paragraph or word? Just thinking out lout. I love this article. It rings "true" to me. Great work. This is an absolutely neccesary process in the creative process. in music production all three tactics listed here are applicable.

Another modes I use:
Difference in Intensity. I commonly make mistakes where something is out of balance in relationship to other elements of my work. As a method of combating this mistake I use volume as a “variable”. So, I will turn the music up REALLY loud and feel it literally physically. The air of the speakers pushing against my clothes. However often times I actually gain the most perspective from listening to the music as extremely quite levels where the music is barely percievable. Then scrutinize the sound to see what is still perceptible.

I would imagine perhaps that this would translate to other creative mediums as well. Visual seems the most logical in things like changing the transparency of an image when working in a digital format. But what about Filtered glasses or something for physical mediums?

What about writing? Is it possible to change the physical intensity at which one perceives words? Perhaps obfuscating every other paragraph or word?

Just thinking out lout. I love this article. It rings “true” to me. Great work.

]]> By: Pamela Butler http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-118790 Pamela Butler Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:56:07 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-118790 Really interesting to read this. I always reckon in writing - get it down, get anything down, no matter how bad you feel about it. Then leave it. Come back next day - there's always something there you can use and work with. Usually, surprise surprise - it's often not half as bad as you thought Really interesting to read this. I always reckon in writing – get it down, get anything down, no matter how bad you feel about it. Then leave it. Come back next day – there’s always something there you can use and work with. Usually, surprise surprise – it’s often not half as bad as you thought

]]> By: Mark McGuinness http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-118583 Mark McGuinness Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:27:42 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-118583 Thanks Skellie - and for the great advice re sourcing images. Your links blog looks cool, another good idea! For anyone else reading this, Skellie's post about sourcing images is here: http://www.skelliewag.org/a-complete-guide-to-finding-and-using-incredible-flickr-images-162.htm Thanks Skellie – and for the great advice re sourcing images. Your links blog looks cool, another good idea!

For anyone else reading this, Skellie’s post about sourcing images is here: http://www.skelliewag.org/a-complete-guide-to-finding-and-using-incredible-flickr-images-162.htm

]]> By: Skellie http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/comment-page-1/#comment-118582 Skellie Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:24:08 +0000 http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2007/12/09/three-ways-to-assess-your-own-creative-work/#comment-118582 Mark -- loved the post, loved the image. Wonderful! I've added it to the Skelliewag links blog :-). Mark — loved the post, loved the image. Wonderful!

I’ve added it to the Skelliewag links blog :-) .

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