Living in the Question with Curiosity

What does living in the question mean to you? To stand in front of the blank canvas, to trust that something will come to you as you paint, write or compose can be almost overwhelming. For me the key to being able to sit in the place of unknowing is to embrace my curiosity. I love this quote from one of my all-time favorite authors:

"What has happened to our ability to dwell in the unknowing, to live inside a question and coexist with the tensions of uncertainty? Where is our willingness to incubate pain and let it birth something new? What has happened to patient unfolding, to endurance? These things are what form the ground of waiting."

~ Sue Monk Kidd

I believe that the patient unfolding occurs with practice. The more you create, the more you learn. And here is the paradox: the more you learn, the more curious you become. If you don’t know anything about a subject, you may not even wonder about it because it isn’t in your realm of knowledge. When you know something, the more you might wonder about the next step. Curiosity compounds knowledge and you can make connections and integrate ideas. When you don’t know anything about a subject, you become disinterested and forget to pursue the subject. So, ironically, the best way to become curious about learning things is to keep learning things.

When I began writing my first art technique book on Image transfers, I would dream of all the possibilities of how to transfer things. My coauthor and I came up with over 35 ways to transfer things. We broke down the ways you could transfer into sections: heat, glue and mediums, solvents and everything else. One idea led to another, and this first book led me to write a total of six books on art techniques. The backgrounds that were created for the first book led to an entire book on surface treatment. The more I explored, the more ideas I had for other books. This is how learning a new technique can lead to more learning and make connections and leaps into other subjects.

I love the interconnections my brain makes, like seeing colors and movement when listening to music. When I read articles on science it trips my creativity sensors to make new art, and an idea will spark a whole new series! Take the next step and broaden your search. Your curiosity will build bridges and connect you with new topics you may not have imagined you were interested in. I read science articles on chemistry, biology and physics. The underlying connections across all these fields that tie them together for me and my art is the pursuit of the investigation of non-linear time, that is circular and organic.

As you expand your learning and broaden your subjects of interest, beware of analysis paralysis when going down the Google rabbit hole. When a little information is so easily attained you may find yourself endlessly watching YouTube videos or researching, but not acting. You must reach the point where you stand before the blank canvas and dare yourself to make a mark. Take your curiosity into the studio and ask it what it would like to explore and why. It is “the why” that will hold your brush and guide your imagination, as you sit in the place of unknowing and let the transformation birth a new creation.

I find the most satisfying part of creating is letting my curiosity be in control. I can put the analytical, knowing brain in the back room and lock the door. Then I hand the tools to Curiosity and let her go for it. I create by the motto of “what if”. I wonder what would happen if I tried this or broke this rule or turned it on its head? I love to create layers and then bury them under more layers and excavate a new reality. When making art, leave something to the imagination and have your viewers ask why.

Be willing to sit in your place of uncertainty and trust that the why of your question will find a way to make the marks on the canvas.