By Chris Dunmire | Posted 12/13/20 | Updated 12/26/24
"Be creative. Feed your soul. Love your life." —Chris Zydel
What is art? This age-old question first emerged with prehistoric critics at the sight of a cave painting of a banana affixed to the wall by a leaf. Crushed by the criticism, Grog the esteemed Paleolithic artist, eventually ditched the paintbrush and became a diet guru.
So what is art? Is it the consciousness-shifting end result? The skilled technical process required for execution? The joy of the process of creating? A ripe concept* selling for $6.2 million as an edible PR stunt?
In the world of art, you'll hear plenty about art being subjective, usually followed by a list of famous artists who have been considered controversial for their "bad" art:
Soup cans and bananas aside, let's imagine a world where bad art really works. How? Well, in the realm of creative confidence, I'm a big fan of making "bad art" just to get over being afraid of the blank canvas or making no art at all. Think of bad art as a warm-up.
Where does this helpful strategy echo from? Perhaps from Anne Lamott's encouragement to writers to embrace the idea of writing a "shotty" first draft. Yes, in her book Bird by Bird, Lamott is often cited for the best way to overcome writer's block and start a writing project is to just start writing, even if the first draft is terrible and runs like bird poop. She encourages writers to embrace the messiness and imperfection of the first draft, and to view it as a necessary step in the writing process:
"The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later."
Hmm, I wonder what other creative activity has lots of messiness and imperfection potential? Perhaps Jackson Pollock thought of his splashy colors as child's play, too, and decided to stay there because it worked out just fantastically for him. And since Lamott's advice has resonated with many writers and has become a popular strategy for overcoming writer's block and getting started on a writing project, why not borrow it for getting started on art, too?
By Chris Zydel | Creative Juices Arts
Today, we're going to make some art.
What you will need for this creative play activity is a pad of paper and something to draw or color with such as colored pens, pencils, crayons or oil pastels.
Take your pad of paper and your art supplies and find a place to sit where you can be comfortable and undisturbed for five minutes.
Take a moment to close your eyes and center yourself.
Then open your eyes and look around you and begin to draw or color what you see.
But do it in the worst way possible.
Let yourself make some stupendously bad art.
Let go of the need to be perfect.
Make an enthusiastic mess.
Don't try to be realistic at all.
Let things be out of proportion, lop-sided or weirdly-shaped.
Allow your four-year-old child self to come out and play and draw and color with total abandon.
At the end of the five minutes, congratulate yourself on making such wonderfully bad art!
By Terrell Belteechar
Alright, let's get our hands dirty and make some "bad" art!
Welcome to "The Art of Making Bad Art 101", where we'll explore the depths of our creative (or not so creative) minds. Today, we'll be unleashing our inner artist by creating masterpieces that'll make your momma say, "What the heck is that?"
First things first, let's grab some unconventional materials — think old newspapers, expired food, or even some smelly socks! The weirder, the better.
Now, let's get to work. Our first project will be called "The Trashy Still Life". Take those funky materials and arrange them however you want.
Don't worry about composition or technique, just go wild!
Here's a fun prompt continuing with the banana and duct tape theme:
*Comedian, a banana taped to a wall with duct tape is a 2019 artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.