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| mixing and matching pieces across the series |
I spent the evening designing a series of mixed media journal pages for my calendar project- twelve pieces of art, one loose theme. I typically work on one piece of art at a time, start to finish, so when I hit a wall, it can be very frustrating. I really haven't given myself very many projects where I've had to work in a series before and it's proving to be an enlightening experience.
I'm learning to carry out a theme over several pieces, intermix the elements, try out different versions and play until the design suits the feel of each page. I'm realizing that producing a series of pieces helps me keep my momentum going! When I'm stuck for an idea on a piece or am faced with making a decision about the design or composition, I can set it aside and work on another piece for the project. I don't have to stop; I just move on to something different. It helps maintain the flow! Sometimes it helps to step away from a piece of art and let it stew a bit while you work it out or wait for inspiration to strike.
I guess I never realized how much decision making plays into my anxiety during my creative process. In the past when I've gotten stuck, I felt like I had to figure it out right then and there (or it was in danger of becoming one of my many unfinished projects.) But I see now that I can remedy that by giving myself time to reflect on a piece- what's working, what's not, and what it needs to make it special- while working on something that's connected. This leaves me less likely to give up on the problem piece and more likely to feed off of other pieces in the series that are going well. So from now on I'm keeping my "stuck" works in progress out in the open where I can keep them in mind, and I'm not letting them keep me from making more art. Yay for maintaining momentum by becoming series savvy! ;)
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