Scratching

According to Twyla Tharp, scratching is the act of generating ideas and finding inspiration. This could be anything from experimenting, reading, observing nature or everyday life, or just living and talking with others. It is called scratching because it is like scratching a lottery ticket: some tickets will lead to nothing and no ideas and some tickets will lead to the jack-pot or fantastic ideas. Twyla Tharp suggests that we do anything at all that will help us to start a project. It could be any of the things listed above, or something entirely different--- whatever works for the individual! Most importantly though, the act of scratching must not be judged. People must let themselves create anything that they want, because a great piece or idea may come from a not so good project. I think that this last tidbit of information is one thing that would help me in the studio. I often judge my work and are always thinking about the finished product. However, I should just let myself experiment and be free with my work. In other words, I shouldn't be worried or scared of taking risks or making mistakes--- because that is where great pieces develop from. I can also see myself using her idea of learning from the "greats." I haven't really spent much time reading books about art or looking at art, and I think that this would be a great way to get inspiration. As I mentioned before, scratching in the studio would look like this: taking risks without inhibition, exploring work by other artists, observong the world around me, and of course, experimenting and having fun with art.