An artists motivation is one of their most defining attributes yet one of the hardest to describe. For many it is truly a combination of aesthetics and emotion, but that's just it, not one person will describe the world to you in the same way.
Many of my motivations consist of how I learn and interact with the world on a daily basis. Here I present to you 10 things that influence my work and who I am as a person in order to give an idea of where my art comes from:
1. How Things Work: This is my life. If I'm not drawing, designing, or building something, I'm taking things apart to understand why it works the way it does.
2. Nature: Seeing the beauty in what others may take for granted. Finding those places in the wilderness that cause an upwelling of emotion and interest from which great intrigue presents itself.
3. Architecture: There is something about greatly designed buildings that drives my to create, whether it be from the clean crisp lines of a skyscraper, or the wonderfully decaying structure of an abandoned house.
4. Curiosity: Tying in with how things work, I am drawn to learning more than general knowledge and instead delving deeper to fully grasp the understanding the history behind and object or place. There is always more to the story than what your eyes alone can physically see. It takes imagination to obtain the entire story.
5. Perception: How others perceive abstract art and how you can get a message across by showing rather than telling.
6. Telling A Story: The drive to not only deliver a great piece of work, but to illustrate the incredible yet sometimes difficult story behind it.
7. Color: Not only for me, but for many, colors help portray mood/emotion allowing us to create vivid and intriguing imagery. I am always thinking about how I may best use the colors at my disposal to my advantage.
8. Tactility: I tend to be attracted towards materials and processes that require high amounts of hand eye coordination in which I, the creator am directly affecting the piece. For example, building something with my own hands rather than drawing or describing it.
9. Functionality: Creating a piece of work and understanding how it works within the area it is displayed. Is it in motion, or is it stationary.
10. Interactivity: More times than not I find myself creating something 3 dimensional. I love artwork that can be picked up, and though a drawing on paper can be held, it cannot tell the story of a stained glass window. This example is great, because not only does it really give you something to picture in your head, but a piece in which you can physically feel every bump, and every mistake. In a way this causes your piece to come to life. Every feeling allows you to better understand how and why it was made.
If I were required to come up with an artwork assignment for myself I would choose something that interested me, i.e. (building something). I would choose a certain material to work with and that would make up the majority of the piece. So for my assignment the instructions would be this: First, select a material that you see in you everyday life. Take into account of what the objects intended purpose is, now throw that away. Come up with an intriguing and creative new way to make your object do or portray something it was never intended or designed to do.
Another less detailed list of things I find Visually Appealing:
1. Cars: The body lines and curvature that give it its personality.
2. Optical Illusions
3. Abstract Line Drawings
4. Two Point Perspective Work
5. Tilt-Shift Photography
6. The Unpredictability of Nature: A surprise around every corner.
7. Shading: How it can enhance or hinder your perception of reality.
8. Complicated Machines: The task of each individual part.
9. Landscapes: The scenery that makes up a location.
10. Detailed Artwork: Pieces in which you must get very close to understand how it was made.
