Good morning friends,
I hope this finds you well and you had a great week and braved the storms. If you’re like me, you might be a few trellis’s down and lost some bins in the casualty of storm Eunice ;) But they are over now and it’s the weekend, so yay!
I am in full flow of getting ready for my exhibition next Friday which is super exciting. Prints are being framed and canvases are being hung.
The Edit
Editing is a skill, in all walks of life. In writing, in artwork, interior design, music. Learning how to take away from your work in order for it to be more powerful and effective is something every creative has to learn and quite often, will struggle with, myself included! Along the way I have realised that there are a few key questions and things to consider when editing:
Why?
If you have a clear vision and write it down you can keep returning to the ‘why’ of the project. It’s easy to get distracted with all the options in the details. The ‘why’ is like an anchor you can keep returning to.
Simplicity
There’s a reason for the acronym ‘KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid.’ If you are questioning the need for a piece of work/sentence (or, fill in the blank depending on what you are editing), ask yourself if it will add to the overall story of the project.
The Story
If there was a narrative for the project, however literal or abstract, what would it be? Do you want this to be open for interpretation or for there to be a clear and obvious narrative.
Audience?
Who's going to be looking at the project and what impression would you like them to have. We all know that art is subjective and each individual will come away with different impressions, especially if it’s abstract. But thinking about who you are creating the work for will help streamline some ideas.
If you get attached to your work, editing can feel like a bit of a wrench! But it’s a bit like pruning a plant, you need to know how to do it in order to make it grow back healthier :)
Thought Of The Week: Minimalism
As I have been considering how to edit this week, which pieces to leave out and how to simplify blurbs about the work, the idea of minimalism has come up several times. So, what is minimalism?
Its a concept that gets talked about a lot these days and has gained popularity over the last few years. Essentially, it is about living with less ‘stuff’ and declutering life. However, a common misconception is that it means you have to get rid of all the things you love, which lets face it, would just make you sad. Instead, it’s about deciding what adds value to your life and home and what just makes it a bit noiser and harder to appreciate the things you really do love.
“Minimalism is not about having less, it’s about making room for what matters” Simple Lion Heart Life.
“Minimalism is a tool to eliminate life’s excess, focus on the essentials and find happiness, fulfillment and freedom.” Joshua Feilds Milburn.
For some people, it will mean the extreme, a very simple home with hardly anything in it, or even living in a Tiny House. For others it will just be a concept that they keep returning to everytime they try and declutter. It might be an idea that helps you find some space and peace if you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in life, or, you might feel you are just fine the way you are! Either way, it’s an interesting idea.
So, what is minimalism in art and when did we start considering these concepts for creativity? This 4 minute video answers just that question!
You Are Invited!
As I’m sure you know by now next Friday 4th March I’ll be showing my work at Well & Good in Godalming from 7:30pm, I would love to see you there! Drop in anytime, there’s a bar and you can order Pizza from the Italian Piazza Firenze across the road if you are coming straight from work or just fancy some very tasty food.
For those of you who can’t make it, I will be posting a video on Instagram of the exhibition and all my work will be on my website.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend,
Lydia x