April 1, 2008
A few years ago I explained to a friend that I was discouraged from writing again, not because I lacked ideas, but because I lacked vocabulary. I saw everything in my mind visually, but I couldn’t explain it with the right words. My friend replied that I didn't have the "toolbox" yet to express what my mind already knew.
When you first start to paint you learn the basics: a brush leaves a different stroke than a pallet knife, primed canvas or paper react differently to paint, and oils dry more slowly than acrylics. All these variables give an artist different choices in creating a work and the painting will vary in the outcome. These different choices are “tools” which can be bent and maneuvered in the hands of the artist — knowledge of color, materials, and meaning. As the artist continues to make work, the toolbox continues to grow.
Every medium has it’s own set of tools to master, and a vocabulary to learn. This is not a process that happens overnight and it will only come about in hard work. Whether you are interested in graphic design or dancing, there is a discipline to learn the tools that will be necessary to achieve success.
The question is, how do we develop or find the tools?