In January I was invited to participate in a group art project online. There are 14 of us (a few I know, most I don’t), living in five states across the country and Saskatchewan, Canada. The directive is fairly lenient: we have a one-word prompt and 60 days to create a 12″ x 12″ interpretation/exploration of that word. Other than that very general guideline, the sky’s the limit. There will be 6 prompts in 2016, the first one was “water”.
There is to be no sharing of ideas or work with the other participants until the specified reveal date two months after the start. At that time finished images are uploaded to a closed blog, allowing the participants to see all 14 pieces. Each artist may choose how much or little to share about her process, opening the door to feedback and dialogue. The overall idea is to foster creativity while developing relationships with other artists.
While I have more than enough to keep me busy in the studio at the moment, I jumped at the chance to be a part of this project for a couple of reasons:
- I’ve learned that shaking up my process and working within limitations can create the most fertile ground for growth
- I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to discuss art with a variety of folks I don’t know (yet). I want to be exposed to new viewpoints and a wider range of ideas to consider and learn from.
This is another great example of how the internet works to break down the walls of isolation for artists, providing a different form of collaboration that is bound to be interesting.
And there’s no denying that a healthy stretch is good for all of us.
Further reading: It’s wise to embark on any endeavor with your eyes wide open. This article by Brian Sherwin outlines some of the pros and cons of online art groups.
“a healthy stretch is good for all of us”—yes, in both senses of the word!! Thanks for this.
Life and art overlapping!
I LOVE the water bottle!!!! Thanks for the mention of the Project and the group.
Pam
You bet! I should be thanking you for the blogging topic.
Re: the H2O bottle – funny how simple is often best.