How Artists ACTUALLY Get Their Ideas (Ask An Artist)

Summary

This script delves into the origins of ideas for artists, exploring the creative process from derivative to original concepts. It discusses the challenges of generating fresh ideas and the importance of the idea behind artwork. The speaker suggests a modified Transcendental Meditation approach to tap into the subconscious, alongside other methods like extension, cross-pollination, and automatic writing to cultivate creativity. The emphasis is on mindfulness and understanding one's role in shaping or channeling artistic ideas.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Ideas can be thought of as existing on a continuum from derivative to original, where derivative ideas are easier to generate, but original ideas are more challenging and valuable.
• 🧠 The origin of ideas is crucial for artists, as the idea behind a work of art significantly contributes to its interest and value.
• 🌲 Simply trying to force ideas by thinking hard, as the speaker did by walking in the woods, is not an effective method for generating creative ideas.
• 🎨 Copying other artists' work can be a valuable exercise for developing technical and formal mastery, but it becomes insufficient for artists seeking to couple interesting forms with interesting ideas.
• 🧘‍♂️ A modified Transcendental Meditation method can help artists generate ideas by quieting the mind, focusing on a mantra, and noticing the origins of thoughts, similar to lucid dreaming.
• 🔄 Artists can enlarge the realm of derivative ideas by building off pre-existing work, either their own or others', to create new ideas and works.
• 📝 Various processes like automatic writing, cross-pollination of ideas, and systematic copying with selective changes can help in generating new ideas.
• 👂 Engaging in meaningful conversations with others about one's work and listening carefully can provide new perspectives and ideas.
• 🌱 Incubating ideas by allowing the subconscious to process information over time can lead to new insights and creative breakthroughs.
• 💡 The creative process involves preparation, incubation, illumination (aha moments), and verification, where ideas are tested for merit.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video script?

The main topic discussed in the video script is the origin of ideas and the process of generating ideas for artistic creation.

What is the default mode Network mentioned in the script?

The default mode Network is a term used to describe the brain's network that is active when a person is not focused on the outside world, often associated with mind-wandering and creativity.

Why is the idea behind a work of art considered important in the script?

The idea behind a work of art is considered important because it is what makes the work interesting and meaningful, rather than just copying reality.

What is the continuum model of ideas mentioned in the script?

The continuum model of ideas suggests that ideas exist on a spectrum from derivative (easy to generate) to original (hard to generate).

What is the problem with focusing on verisimilitude in art as described in the script?

The problem with focusing on verisimilitude is that it often leads to uninteresting art, as it prioritizes the appearance of reality over the exploration of new and original ideas.

What is the modified Transcendental Meditation method suggested for artists in the script?

The modified Transcendental Meditation method for artists involves quieting the mind and body, focusing on a mantra, and subtly guiding and shaping thoughts as they arise, similar to lucid dreaming.

Why is it suggested that an empty mind is an impossibility in the script?

It is suggested that an empty mind is an impossibility because the brain continuously generates thoughts, even during attempts to quiet the mind, such as in meditation.

What are some of the creative tools or processes mentioned in the script for generating ideas?

Some of the creative tools or processes mentioned include extension and expansion, comparison, copying, cross-pollination, automatic writing, conversion, and using limitations as a catalyst.

How does the script suggest using conversations as a tool for idea generation?

The script suggests engaging in meaningful conversations about one's work with others and listening carefully to their ideas and feedback as a way to generate new ideas.

What are the basic principles underlying the methods for idea generation mentioned in the script?

The basic principles underlying the methods for idea generation are preparation (gathering information), incubation (allowing the subconscious to process information), illumination (the 'aha' moment of idea emergence), and verification (analyzing and testing the idea).

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Origins of Ideas and the Creative Process

This paragraph delves into the question of where ideas come from, pondering if they are pre-existing or a product of our brain's default mode network. It emphasizes the importance of ideas in art, contrasting the derivative nature of simple ideas with the challenge of generating original ones. The speaker shares personal anecdotes about struggling to find ideas and introduces a model of creativity that ranges from derivative to original. The paragraph also touches on the limitations of verisimilitude in art and the need for artists to move beyond mere replication to develop meaningful and interesting ideas.

05:02

🧘‍♂️ Modified Transcendental Meditation for Idea Generation

The speaker explores the practice of meditation as a means to understand the origin of thoughts and, by extension, ideas. They discuss the impossibility of achieving a completely empty mind and suggest that observing the genesis of thoughts can be beneficial for artists. A modified version of Transcendental Meditation is proposed, where the artist quiets their mind, focuses on a mantra, and then notices the origins of their thoughts, subtly shaping them in a manner akin to lucid dreaming. This method is positioned as a pure form of idea creation, distinct from other, less original approaches.

10:03

🌱 Expanding the Realm of Derivative Ideas

In this paragraph, the speaker addresses the challenge of idea generation by suggesting methods to expand the realm of derivative ideas. They propose building new ideas on pre-existing concepts, which could be one's own previous work or thoughts. The paragraph outlines several processes to generate new work, such as extension and expansion, comparison, copying with selective changes, cross-pollination, automatic writing, and using conversation as a catalyst. The speaker also discusses the importance of preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification in the creative process, and raises philosophical questions about the nature of control over ideas and the role of the artist in the process of creation.

Keywords

💡Ideas

Ideas are the fundamental building blocks of creative work, as discussed in the video. They are the original thoughts or concepts that inspire and drive artistic expression. The video explores the origins of ideas, suggesting they may be pre-existing forms or a function of the brain's default mode network. The script mentions the struggle of coming up with ideas, like 'trying to think of ideas for work as if they would come from nowhere,' illustrating the challenge artists face in the creative process.

💡Default Mode Network

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a network of brain regions that are active when an individual is not focused on the outside world. In the context of the video, it is suggested that ideas might be a function of this network, implying that our thoughts and ideas may arise from this internal, self-referential mental state. The DMN is associated with mind-wandering and is contrasted with the active, focused thinking required for generating ideas.

💡Derivative to Original

The video presents a continuum from derivative to original ideas, which helps to understand the spectrum of creativity. Derivative ideas are those that are based on or copied from existing concepts, while original ideas are unique and not directly borrowed from others. The script suggests that derivative ideas are easier to generate, whereas original ideas are harder but more valuable in the artistic process.

💡Technical and Formal Mastery

Technical and formal mastery refers to the proficiency in the techniques and styles used in art. The video mentions the value of copying as a means to develop this mastery. However, it also points out that relying solely on technical skill without original ideas can result in uninteresting work, emphasizing the importance of combining both mastery and original thought.

💡Verisimilitude

Verisimilitude is the quality of appearing true or real, akin to how a camera captures reality. In the script, it is described as a problem when it becomes the sole focus of art, suggesting that art that merely imitates reality without deeper meaning or original ideas lacks the depth and interest that come from creative thought.

💡Meditation

Meditation, as discussed in the video, is a practice of quieting the mind and body to potentially reach a state of emptiness. It is used as a method to understand the origin of thoughts and ideas. The video suggests that even in attempts to quiet the mind, thoughts continue to arise, and by paying attention to this process, one can learn where ideas come from.

💡Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation is a specific form of meditation that involves the repetition of a mantra to help focus the mind. The video adapts this practice for artists, suggesting that by quieting the mind and focusing on a mantra, one can observe the origins of thoughts and subtly shape them into new ideas, akin to lucid dreaming.

💡Incubation

Incubation in the context of the video refers to the process of allowing ideas to develop subconsciously over time. It is part of a four-step process that includes preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. The script suggests planting an idea or subject matter into the subconscious and letting it gestate, which can lead to a deeper and more profound understanding or idea.

💡Cross-Pollination

Cross-pollination in the video is a creative process where elements from two different sources are combined to generate new ideas. It involves extracting or mixing aspects from different works or concepts to create something novel. The script uses this term to illustrate how artists can draw from disparate sources to foster creativity.

💡Automatic Writing

Automatic writing is a technique where one writes without a pre-determined plan, allowing thoughts to flow freely onto the page. The video likens this process to modified Transcendental Meditation, suggesting it as a tool for artists to generate ideas by starting with a blank page and writing whatever comes to mind.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness, as discussed in the video, is the practice of paying close attention to one's thoughts and mental processes. It is a recurring theme that encourages artists to be aware of how and why they think in certain ways. The video suggests that by practicing mindfulness, artists can better understand the source of their ideas and their role in shaping them.

Highlights

The origin of ideas is a fundamental question for artists, with the idea behind the artwork being of paramount importance.

The creative process involves a continuum from derivative to original ideas, with originality being more challenging to achieve.

Copying and making work that resembles others' is insufficient for personal artistic development beyond a certain point.

The value of copying as a means to develop technical and formal mastery is recognized, despite its limitations.

Verisimilitude, the appearance of reality in art, is critiqued for its lack of interesting ideas beyond mere replication.

A modified Transcendental Meditation process is suggested for artists to generate ideas by quieting the mind and focusing on a mantra.

The impossibility of an empty mind suggests that thoughts are continuously generated, offering a rich source for artistic ideas.

Paying close attention to the origin of thoughts during meditation can be a powerful tool for idea generation.

The process of shaping thoughts is likened to lucid dreaming, allowing for the creation of new work from the subconscious.

Various methods to generate ideas are presented, including extension, expansion, comparison, and cross-pollination.

Automatic writing and engaging in meaningful conversations are proposed as effective tools for idea incubation.

The importance of allowing the subconscious to process information over time in the idea generation process is emphasized.

The four-step process of idea generation includes preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.

Mindfulness and paying close attention to one's thought processes are central to the creative journey of an artist.

The role of the artist in the idea generation process is questioned, exploring whether they are a shaper or a vessel for ideas.

The modified Transcendental Meditation method is positioned as a pure method for idea generation on a creative tools spectrum.

The creative process is not only about generating new ideas but also about questioning and understanding their source.

Transcripts

where do ideas come from they are they

pre-existing forms that we merely tap

into are they a function of our brain's

default mode Network what are the

origins of ideas and where do they begin

and and why is that such an important

question for the artist when I went away

to graduate school and came to the

realization that ideas were important in

the work of art the idea behind the work

was the thing that's important I would

walk around the woods uh trying to think

of ideas for work as if they would come

from nowhere I was thinking so hard that

it was this smoke was both figuratively

pouring off of my brain it wasn't a very

effective way of coming up with ideas

wasn't a very effective way of thinking

about artwork go what do you want me

talk about the high school kids yeah I

mean my kids they sometimes I I walk

over and I say what are you doing and

they're like this I'm trying to come up

with ideas and I'm like it doesn't

happen doesn't just pop into your head

helpful for a moment to think of a model

where I ideas exist on a Continuum from

derivative to

original now in this model derivative

ideas are relatively easy to to generate

while original ideas are hard now in the

creative act all ideas Fall somewhere

along this axis but relax relax because

we'll discuss the ways that this model

is flawed in a moment but but you need

to stick with me in order for me to make

my point for most

artists there comes a moment in their

personal development where simply

copying where making work like other

artists is is just not enough now I've

made a few recent videos that address

the value of copying as a way of

developing technical Mastery and formal

Mastery and these videos I have

also discussed the the problems with cop

C in in a number of other recent videos

I have spoken about the problems with

verisimilitude and what is ver

similitude it is art that has the

appearance of being real where the

artist functions like a camera

most but not all Art and Design videos

on on YouTube are about how to draw and

paint a picture that actually looks like

the thing that you're painting that

Steve itself in very similitude and

obviously for most

people this is this is enough the the

idea itself is enough and that's the

problem it's not a very interesting

idea it is the idea behind works of art

that make the work interesting and

unfortunately for most people you don't

need an idea you you simply need to to

copy reality making work in this way and

with this approach to Art is precisely

why the work is uninteresting now when

an artist arrives at the point where

they want to couple interesting form the

way that the work looks with interesting

ideas the way that the work what the

work

means they have arrived at an

exponentially more challenging and more

interesting problem so where to begin

where do ideas actually come

from well how how how how does an artist

how should an artist think through Art

and Design and also develop interesting

ideas so let's break down the process of

generating ideas and look at both how to

do it effectively as well as some of the

more difficult

implications from this process and the

practice of meditation there's a long

history spanning Many religious and

philosophical traditions that involves

quieting the mind and the body in order

to empty the mind this raises the

question it raises the fundamental

question of if it is even possible to

empty the

mind now why would we ask this question

we'd ask this question because paying

attention to this process we can learn

where ideas come from now complete

Emptiness is an impossibility and

looking closely at the origin of our

thoughts can be a powerful tool for the

artist now in the trans in the in the

tradition of Transcendental Meditation

the meditator repeats a mantra like the

word m over and over and over

again in this process any time the Mind

drifts or wanders from the Mantra the

meditator gently brings their attention

back back to a single point back to the

Mantra back to the sound back to the

word over and over and over again now

even during attempts to quiet the Mind

such as in meditation the Mind continues

to generate thoughts attempts to

suppress thinking are nearly impossible

now in this process if we pay attention

to our thinking we can chase the Beast

back to its layer we can begin to notice

the the the brain the cosmos the

universal one relentlessly populates the

mind with

thoughts an empty mind is an

impossibility when we quiet the Mind

Plumbing the vast depths of the psyche

The Act of Creation happens unabated at

the most fundamental

level it's at this

moment that like in lucid dreaming the

artist can simultaneously trace the

thought bubbles down through the various

strata of Consciousness to their

primordial Source subtly guiding and

shaping them it's in this process and at

this moment that we can imagine new work

new possibilities so the modified

Transcendental Meditation process for

the artist is basically as follows it's

almost this simple quiet the mind and

body focus on a mantra when the focus

drifts bring the focus back to the

Mantra then no notice begin to notice

the origins of thought and then shape

subtly give form and shape to those

thoughts in a way that is not dissimilar

from lucid dreaming so the modified

Transcendental Meditation method is the

purest of the methods that I'm

suggesting today now if we look at my

initial model for the idea of

creation the creative tools for the

artist the modified transcendental

method Falls far to the right of this

scale

now this begs the question what are

other tools that an artist can use to

help generate

ideas and why would they want to do

that well let's look at the

original model that I laid out uh for a

moment and if you're having difficulty

with the pure unadulterated Act of

Creation if the modified Transcendental

Meditation method is difficult or if

it's unproductive then the way to fix

fix this is to

enlarge the realm of the derivative to

increase its area now if we use methods

that increase the realm of the

derivative we we build ideas off of

something that's pre-existing this does

not mean this does not mean derivative

it doesn't not necessarily mean

derivative of others work it may mean

derivative of your own thoughts your own

processes your own forms your own

pre-existing body of work but the goal

is to build build new ideas off of

something pre-existing you can derive uh

the idea from your

work in some ways from your last work

everything you need to know about your

next piece may be contained in your last

piece now here is a list of processes to

generate your next work that enlarge

that realm Transcendental Meditation far

on the right extension expansion

comparison copy cross pollination

process automatic writing conversion I

mean conversation and the limitation and

limitations as a

catalyst now at the at the core of most

of that these ideas lies um lies a

fundamental similarities so in in in uh

extension and expansion we can extend

and expand our existing work so the

closer that we look at any subject the

more we see idea is expand in the field

of our

attention the closer you look at any

subject the more you see in this method

what we do is we we bring our attention

to a given subject or one of our

existing works we research every aspect

of the work in the subject in this

process ideas will inexorably manifest

themselves it's also possible to

systematically copy an existing Works

selectively

changing fundamental aspects of the work

in this process creating a new thing now

I made a whole video about this process

already so I won't go into detail here

the next process that we can use is the

cross-pollination process where we take

two dissimilar ideas two dissimilar

bodies of work and use extrapolate

extract from them their genome for a

lack of a better word to create

something new so as an example we could

take the drawing style from piece a and

the subject from piece b or the color

palette from piece B to make color C or

the color palette from item a and the

sculptural form from Item B to create

item C you can do this process with your

own work or with any two dissimilar

elements this is an example from my own

work automatic writing is also a tool

that we can use this process is in

somewhat similar to the modified

Transcendental Meditation process and

that you begin with a blank page and

simply start writing whatever appears so

in some ways this process has much of

the promise as well as many of the

complexities of the trend modified

Transcendental Meditation process

another extremely effective way to

enlarge the realm of the

pre-existing is to Simply listen to the

ideas about your work from others to

engage in meaningful conversations about

your work with other people and to

listen very carefully now it is also

possible to incubate ideas to plant

subject matter into the subconscious to

tell yourself to work on an idea as a

kind of background cognitive process to

let the idea the subject gestate in the

psyche over time only to return to the

development of the idea uh in a more

systematic way after you have told your

subconscious to work on that idea over

time we see that on the screen now now

at the base at the root of all of these

methods are a few basic principles

preparation G gathering information

immersing yourself in a topic and then

the incubation process which is this

idea of allowing the subconscious mind

to process the

information uh the third step in the

process is illumination where there is

this aha moment that can be a very

subtle thing but when the when the idea

emerges and finally verification which

is where what we do is we use our

analytical mind to think through the

ideas and to test for whether or not the

idea has Merit we can use a host of um

research tools to do that now reoccur

reoccurring theme in my videos and in my

own work has been about mindfulness

about paying very close attention to our

ways of thinking how we think and why we

think the way that we think in the

modified Transcendental Meditation

process that I've outlin here it's

possible to also begin to question who's

in control where ideas actually come

from and what is my yours or our role in

that process as the artists are we the

shaper of the idea or are we a mere

vessel for its articulation for its

manifestation out into the material

world