Monday, December 13, 2010

"Change"

Change is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately.  I've always thought that it was a positive thing as long as it was done as growth or evolution.  As a studio artist and teacher, change has always been a essential part of the art equation.  Nothing innovative has ever been produced by recreating old ideas. 


One of the assignments that I give to my ceramic students is a "cup transformation".  It's about visual changes or progressions that occur to a functional cup rendering it completely useless.  I have them start by making a number of small clay sketches of the transformation ideas.  I'm always more impressed by the maquettes because they are like humble ideas loosely expressed in clay.  I'm also trying to impart to students that most of the time the first idea that pops into your head isn't the best one and you can always improve on an idea through a series of gradual "tweaks". 


All of this "Change" that I'm referring to in this post is the the kind that comes from oneself.  The other kind is when you are not in control of the change but instead the individual who bears witness to the change.  That is another story and post.  Anyway, I hope this gives you something to think about. Change is a notion that I'm sure I'll be thinking about for many years to come. Unless of course something changes.

4 comments:

  1. Nice post! Yes, change is good... & always changing. I like your cup demo...

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  2. Most people do not adapt well to change, it makes us uncomfortable because it brings in an element of the unknown, the precursor to fear.
    Change does happen, then comes acceptance and complacently ..and then it is change again. Such is life....I just wonder when we will learn that swimming upstream, (fighting change) is so much work. It is much less stressful to swim with the current...in other words go with the flow of life.

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  3. This is really fun. I wonder what you'd see if you had adult students and kids as students. Just to see how the perspectives changes between the 2. I think kids have a more open way to express whatever their imagination takes them and as adults, we tend to hold back. Interesting post and I love the images. Also like the new tabs up there! Nice..

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  4. The only constant in life is change. Once we have accepted this as fact, change becomes easier to adapt to. Change can be scarey, because it is unknown, but it can be looked at as an adventure as well. My Grandmother had a favorite saying, "Nothing will ever stay the same, sometimes things get worse, sometimes they get better, but they will never stay the same." As a youngster I didn't quite understand what she meant by that, as an adult I think of her quote often, and take comfort knowing that things will change. It is what keeps us all going, and keeps us from becoming stagnant. I enjoyed making the maquettes in class, they took on a life of their own...quite different from what I started each one out to be. Michelle ~ Art 241

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