I love behind-the-scenes, be it the extraordinary writing habits of my favourite author, which brand of ink my favourite illustrator uses or, of course, the making-of my favourite movies. We are all fascinated by the process that leads up to the finished result. And why is that? I think there are a couple of reasons that makes us so interested in the creative process. First of all you feel you get to know the artist closer, the way he or she thinks, what they like and get inspired by etc. It paints a more vivid portrait of the sender behind the work we admire and creates a more intimate bond to the final piece of art, like the sentimental value of a gift from a close friend.
Until recently I thought Marcel Proust loved the famous madeleines that triggered his memories from childhood, and had them for breakfast every day… Recent research though, found that his first version of this famous passage referred to toasts! Immediately you see something else in your mind, something straighter and less subtle. These facts make me feel closer to the person Marcel Proust and it also makes me read him differently. Actually Marcel had croissants for breakfast (!) and if you love the topic, don’t miss the incredible blog Paper and Salt about authors and food.
Secondly, the messy steps of the creative process gives us a sneak peek from the hours of hard work in the studio, the problems the artist encountered along the way, and how he/she solved it. Are we facing the same difficulties in our own work of art, we learn a lot, if not we will still feel more strongly about the end result knowing the bumpy road leading there! Thirdly, we identify with the artist and put ourselves in her/his place, imagining how it would be if our own life looked like this. What if I could do what they are doing one day and actually live from it? What would it feel like? How would my life change? This is an important aspect because it makes the corner stones of our dreams and the motivation to pursue them. Knowing the struggle of other artists that did succeed tells us that it is possible for us as well! This is why I would like to share the process, the behind-the-scenes, of my rocky road as well as others. More posts coming up!
