Painting Your Way Out of a Corner: The Art of Getting Unstuck
Barbara Diane Barry
Language: English
Pages: 208
ISBN: 0399163352
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
In the tradition of The Artist’s Way, an exciting program that introduces painting as a jumping-off point for realizing one’s full creative potential in all areas of life.
Based on author Barbara Diane Barry’s popular course Art for Self-Discovery and supported by research in psychology and the science of brain function, Painting Your Way Out of a Corner guides readers through the process of overcoming blocks and expressing themselves freely in painting. Through a series of exercises that emphasize improvisation and risk-taking, readers will learn how to quiet their inner critics and strengthen their creativity. The more we learn to play and accept whatever appears on the page, the more we are able to try new things in life. Readers will be inspired by Barry’s delightful full-color paintings featured throughout the book.
picture should be composed, color balanced, accented, blah, blah, blah. We will talk more about loosening up the viselike grip we may have on what we think defines us in the next chapter. For now, let’s just say that I believe the act of making an image, as opposed to leaving an undeveloped blob of paint on the page, asks us to make a commitment. It requires a leap of faith and trust of that inner voice. The risk might best be understood as akin to being asked to voice an opinion or answer a
and Mark Jung-Beeman of Northwestern University, solving problems by insight differs greatly from using an analytic process. First, insight is characterized by the solver coming to an impasse because he is no longer able to move forward on the solution. Then when the solution does come, the solver can’t explain how he got to it. The third aspect has to do with how the solver experiences the suddenness of the answer (the eureka moment) and how he knows, without being able to explain it, that the
they give themselves very little support to meet these expectations. There is scant room for the trial and error necessary to let something happen, and little time to lose their way. In this process, every painted dot is but a stepping stone toward the next one. There is no need to count how many dots have to be made nor how long it takes to get to the breakthrough aha—the next germ of inspiration. Put aside past lessons that dictate, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” or “Winning
brush paint the image in its own way, the best way you can in this moment, you give yourself the greatest gift—the belief that what’s inside you is enough. You don’t have to look elsewhere or work harder for an answer; it’s already there. Now stand behind it. Ask yourself, “What would I say to a child who puts down his brush and says, ‘I can’t. I don’t know how’?” Be the same understanding and compassionate parent to the timid or frustrated child in you. Maybe we need to put a different spin on
Where is the sensation? 2. What does it feel like? 3. What color is it? 4. What could it look like? 5. What is it next to? When you get a feeling that stops you: 1. Can you name it? 2. Take its temperature? Hot as a ____? Cold as ____? 3. What’s the consistency? Hard, soft, gooey, limp, scratchy, spiky, slippery? 4. Can you paint some of it? What color would it be? 5. If you are really stuck, check out the body. 6. If you’re still frozen, do something like dots or brushstrokes. 7. Get