Have you ever been making something in your studio, day after day, even though you’ve become aware that its really not a good idea, and its really not going well?
I am currently casting picture frames in concrete and creating stencils to spray paint them with. I wanted these to work as graffiti and fine art while making a reference to the arts and crafts movement. It all seemed like a really great idea in my head. This was going to my big summer project for our new studio. But, boy am I frustrated now.
I know why this is happening: The vision of the project in my brain could not account for the realities of the materials, my lack of fluency with the materials and subjects, and my fear of color.
I know what I’m going to do about it: nothing. This is because I know that there are no dead ends in the making process. If I continue to diligently work at this project, something completely unexpected will emerge from the making process. This is how all my good work gets made, but its frustrating and wasteful (I make lots of experiments).
What do you do when you know you’re heading in the wrong direction?