In a recent interview with the director Daniel Stamm (visit AikenWriter.com for my notes), I took notes about the creative process in making films. I quickly realized that making films and writing screenplays are similar to painting. It all boils down to the creative process.
Here are some examples.
1. Engage the audience in a story that is unfamiliar. Stamm is looking for scripts that deal with unfamiliar territory. Painters are looking for the same thing. Screenplays are paintings. The writer uses words instead of oils. A screenplay should paint a story in words. Both writers and painters want to engage the viewer, and hopefully show them something they have never seen.
2. If you can’t deal with failure you won’t have a career. This is true for anyone in the arts. Failure is the norm. Failure is the air we breathe. Rejection is our biggest fan. Failure is inherent in the creative process. Only God creates perfection out of chaos. For us mortals, it's a lot harder. Success is in the doing, the process, the work.
3. A lack of confidence in what you are doing is inherent in the creative process. Stamm talks about meeting with producers, the money people, trying to convince them he has the confidence to make a certain film. It is con game. In reality he has no clue. To get the money, you have to sell people on your clear vision and have confidence in your talent. Painters are no different.
When I begin a new painting, I don't have a clue how it is going to turn out. Will it be a total failure? Maybe. Probably. Most likely my painting won't be a masterpiece. However, I must show confidence in my ability or no one will give a damn. If I think I'm a lousy artist, and say that to a potential patron, then you can see the problem. If I don't believe in myself, then who will? It is okay to lack confidence in your work. 'Not-knowing" is inherent in the creative process. We learn by doing, through trial and error. Just don't let those with the money see you sweat.
4. You Can't Make Everyone Happy. Stamm talks about negative comments about his films being a good thing, just as long as they are widespread, covering a variety of issues. The problem comes when all the negativity is about the same issue. My paintings will always suck, to someone. That is the reality. If I could arrange for ten art critics to look at my work, I would make a list of their comments. Are they all about the same issue? ("God, that composition really sucks") Or do their negative comments vary from one issue to another. Perhaps one critic hates the composition, one hates the color, one hates the subject matter, and one just hates the whole thing. It is a good sign if ten critics hate ten different things about my work. On the other hand, if eight of the ten really hate my brushwork, then I might have a problem.
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| The eleven paintings for my Final Thesis Review. |
In a couple of weeks, I'll have my chance with a room full of critics: three instructors will be attending my Final Thesis review for a critique. I will show them eleven paintings. I will take notes of their negative and positive comments. How much will they agree on certain issues? The best case scenario for me: they won't agree on anything.
5. Being alone with your inner critic can suffocate creativity. Like writing, painting is lonely work. We work by ourselves, isolated from the world in our studios like monks. I'm referring to an honest-to-God-artist, not those scam artists like Jeff Coons, Damien Hirst or Maurizio Cattelan. The voice we often hear comes from the inner critic telling us we suck. Somehow we need to silence the inner critic and just keep working.
