How do I know when I’m on the right creative track?

It has been said that the hardest thing for an artist to know is when to stop.

I don’t know of any painter that hasn’t over worked a painting or not taken it far enough.

How do you know when a painting is done? Are all the colour values uniform with so many complimentary and contrasting hues in a row? Is the feature element of the painting sitting in precisely the correct place on the canvas so the viewer will know you designed the painting with particular forethought? Have you created a perfect balance between form and space?

The truth is, all that stuff is academic. The elements that make a painting truly spectacular are the ones that come from within. We all know instinctively when it is time to stop, start again or walk away. That applies to every thing in life not just art.

I played pool/eight ball many years ago in my youth and I always knew when I was on a roll. I couldn’t miss and couldn’t be beat and I didn’t have to try hard. The balls kept going in the pockets and I was so confident I thought I could close my eyes and still sink any shot.

The point is I learned when I was in the zone and I took advantage of it. My late mother called it “holding your mouth right”. We all innately know when something is right on and it’s the same when creating art.

I have never planned an art project from beginning to end because I want as much out of the creative process as possible.

What is on the other side of the hill?

 I think I know but I want to be surprised.

 If we listen closely to our intuitive sense we will discover the essence of our creative inspiration.

If “discovery is the mother of invention,” then as artists or more importantly as human beings we must pay attention to the most infinitesimal nuances of life.

Jackson Pollack said in an interview for Life Magazine “I deny the accident”.

And yet his intent was constantly being consumed by a profound need to move his art forward. He constantly questioned his process and agonized over it. When every thing was aligned he knew how and when to take advantage of it.

“It” is the thing that pushed Pollack to paint and brought him closer to profound discovery.

Trusting our processes as artists especially in the face of criticism puts into question where our true inspiration comes from. I would suggest it is always there, trust  “It” and act on “It”.