I find that I almost always work best when I am contented than while I am not. I think when I'm unhappy I usually can't bring myself to do anything, and if I feel like creating work the ideas just aren't there. When I'm unhappy I usually am so preoccupied by that thing that is creating that mood, I can't work past it. My ideas start but I don't have the motivation or will to create anything and usually feel like giving up. I will dwell on the thing that is bothering me and it will usually influence my work for the worst.
When I'm contented I find myself much more excited about what I am working on. I suppose majority of my work is based in finding the beauty or good in something and therefore doesn't need to feed of the fuel of a bad mood or dark thoughts. There is nothing more exciting to get into a place of brainstorming where ideas are flowing onto the paper and that always starts with me being excited about getting started on a project. I seem to always cultivate the best ideas when I'm in a place of comfort and am feeling contented.
2. Relaxation vs. Pressure: A
Much like my first choice, I work much better when I am relaxed. While I find that the pressure of a deadline can be helpful to make sure I get things done, I don't think my work under stress is better. For me a clear head and relaxed mind always creates for better work, while under pressure I tend to sacrifice craft or concepts just to get things done. Under pressure I get stressed to the point where it can make me hate a project. It is much nicer to work at my leisure and to not feel stressed out. I create work and I enjoy it when relaxed, creating something I can be satisfied with and not just hate in the end.
3. The Past vs. The Present: A
The past has always been a more interesting topic for me and I have always loved history. I think I find the past more than the present because everything in the past influences everything in the present. I am interested in finding out why things are how they are today, and in my work I'm always drawing on past experiences. I tend to like to think more about how things occurred, when they occurred, why, and how you felt when they occurred, instead of what is going to happen now or tomorrow. In that way I think I would qualify myself as a dreamer as well. If I constantly think about the present I completely get wrapped up in the stress of everyday life, schedules, and the mundane tasks we preform day to day. It is much more enjoyable and important for me when creating work that I consider and include the past.
4. Facts vs. Feelings: B
I have always admired work that is based off fact and utilizes data, but I suppose that is because my work typically doesn't include anything to do with science or data. While facts are important in my work, emotions definitely play a large role in my work and how I approach it. More often than not my work is based off of my personal feelings and experiences. For me art has always been based more about feelings than facts and I have done a lot of my work based around relationships, memories, and culture - all things that connect to emotions and are less based in fact. I think I prefer these subjects because it has always been what I am drawn to and is just more along the lines of how I think about my work. For me art is an expression and what I want to express lies more in feeling than in fact.
5. Rest or Fatigue: A
In my years at Michigan I have definitely spent enough nights in the Art and Theatre buildings to completely say I can create work on little to no sleep. However, I am very familiar with the feeling that happens around four in the morning when your head gets fuzzy, your eyes sting from the light, and all you really want to do is go to bed. While my work has varied through these times, I know without a doubt that I am more inspired by rest. It goes along with the fact that when I'm contented or relaxed I am much more inclined to work and to work well. When I'm tired, unhappy, and stressed I'm never really wanting to continue to work. Art has always been my outlet and I try to remember at all times that I came to Art school because it is something that I love. I am inspired by feelings of happiness and to be happy, I need to rest.
