The Creative Process of Elaine Brady Smith

 

Elaine Brady Smith expresses her creativity through collage, mixed media and encaustic art.

To see more of work, and to find out about her workshops, visit her website.
 

 

 

 

 

 I get the best creative ideas when I’m….

When I least expect them!!! They usually come to me when I am doing something else, which is not always convenient, especially if I am not in the studio. I also love browsing the internet for ideas, especially Pinterest. After taking Amber Kane’s online creativity course, The Unstandardized Standard, I have begun pinning more and more to my Pinterest boards. I love Pinterest, but it can be a real time soaker and I was feeling a bit guilty about spending so much time there, but in Amber’s course I learned what a valuable tool pinning can be to improve my personal aesthetic. I have kept visual journals for years and Pinterest is just another way of collecting those visuals to spark an idea that might be helpful somewhere down the line. Now I allow myself time every day to browse and pin without guilt!!!

 

 My favorite space to create looks like….

I love my basement studio! We used to live in a very old house with a cellar that had dirt and uneven floors…and that was the only place in the house for me to work. Now we live in a newer house and I have a large section of the basement fixed up as a studio. I have a big drafting table that I work at most of the time, but also have stations set up for encaustic and large tables for printing collage papers. I also have a sound system to play music while I work, which is very important. I can get into my “zone” almost immediately when I go down to my studio because it is always ready for me.

 

 My top 3 sources of creativity are…

Being able to view the work of other artists 1) in person and 2) on the internet is huge for me. I am very inspired by other artists. I believe that seeing what others have created gives me courage to create my own work. And my 3rd source, but not least is the Mixed Media Art Group. This is a monthly meeting group that I belong to that consists of friends who are all artists. We get together to talk about art and show our work to each other. This group has become an invaluable source of friendship and creativity for me and I always leave our meetings with a renewed spirit.

 

 When I need a new idea I…..

I usually go to my sketchbooks and journals to do some writing, doodling, or drawing. I have a sketchbook or journal conveniently place in almost every room, so there is no excuse not to pick one up. I also go to the internet to look for things that I like or I will go do something that is not art related at all to give the creative part of my brain a break.

 

 I know that a piece is finished when…

I get a feeling or intuition when a piece is finished. It feels like there isn’t anything else to be done, that there is nothing I can add to make the piece any better. Sometimes if I don’t get that feeling, I won’t like the finished product, and it continues to bother me. Then it is more of a conscious decision to continue or throw the piece on the redo pile.

 

When something isn’t working the way that I planned it to I…

I get a nagging feeling when a piece isn’t working and it lacks the visual synergy I am looking for. That is when I have to make a decision to power through to find a solution or call it quits. It does happen occasionally and I don’t stress over it. I find that it usually has more to do with whatever else is going on in life at the time. Some days are good art days and some are just “meh”. I try to keep in mind that not every piece is going to be a “masterpiece”; not every day is going to be a good art day. I live for the good art days because they make it all worthwhile.

 

 I create because…

I have always said I create because I have to! Creating has been a vital part of my nature since early childhood. When I was growing up, I used to drive my mother crazy with all the projects I worked on. I was always drawing, painting, sewing, cooking, or crafting something. It was always an adventure, not to mention probably a constant mess…but I don’t especially remember that part. She never said no, and I just kept on creating. For me, creating is one of the basic necessities of life. I don’t imagine it will ever stop for me….at least I hope not!

 

 My work is about…

I get a sense of completeness when I create art. The personal satisfaction of having created something and getting positive feedback from others is invaluable to me. Currently my work is more about continuing to develop my own personal aesthetic and seeing where it takes me. I love the surprises and discoveries along the way. There is no mystery or shock value about my work. There are no deep secrets revealed in my art. I simply love to create with a variety of mediums, compositions and techniques. I am satisfied to explore and experiment with what makes me happy and I’m allowing the journey to take me where it goes.

I like to create.

I like the way I feel when I am creating.

 

 

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