There are times when an Artist, for lack of a better term, gets a bit stuck in the mud. Artist's block can happen suddenly or slowly creep in. Sometimes environment can contribute, especially if an artist is experiencing stress in every day life. Stress, whether mild or severe, can affect one's creative drive in a negative way.
One thing is certain: regardless of the when, where, why and how, a creative block is no fun.
I'm sure by now you've guessed that I am currently experiencing the above problem. I could theorize for days on what caused the creative standstill in my life, but I prefer to focus on how to overcome said obstacle.
Whenever I hit a creative wall, two words always come to mind:
Walt Disney.
To Disney Imagineers, Animators, Cast Members and Enthusiasts: these two words are enough and need no further explanation. Amongst the Disney faithful, the mere mention of Walt's name both inspires and speaks volumes.
Last night, after my little one went to bed, I do what I always do at night and worked on Bunny Le Foo. Though the storyboards are done, I have had some issues with production design. I know what I want to do and the image is very clear in my mind, but somehow the idea gets lost in translation by the time it makes it to the pencil and paper.
Within an hour, I had a pile of crumpled paper, a broken pencil and enough frustration to fill twenty gallon jugs. I decided to take a break and watch a DVD. I decided to watch a Disney Treasures DVD. I had planned on putting one of my Donald Duck collections in, but I ultimately decided to put in
Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic.
Watching these documentaries of the creation of Disneyland, a dream Walt had dreamed for many years before the parks' completion, was not just inspiring...it was breathtaking.
Walt Disney was indeed a shrewd businessman, but he was also a dreamer, an artist, a pioneer, a storyteller, and a genius. But above all, Walt had more courage than most ever hope to have. People laughed and scoffed at his ingenious ideas time and time again. He was often faced with harsh criticism and negativity where his vision was concerned.
Disneyland was thought by many to be an expensive folly that would ultimately sink Walt and his Studios. People thought it was a ridiculous idea and that Walt had lost his mind. He had much difficulty convincing others to share his vision, however, he prevailed and as they say...the rest is history.
Walt Disney is more than just "the Mickey Mouse man," as one person once described him to me. Walt was a genius with astounding vision; vision that was so ahead of its time there were a select few individuals who could understand and support it. Walt was a man of progress, and that progress was not limited to his Animation Studios or his Theme Parks.
Walt Disney was a man who accomplished great and monumental things because he never stopped believing in himself or in his dreams.
I looked down at my crumpled up drawings and went back through them. Then I started cutting things out and gluing them back together. Pretty soon, I had a fresh outlook and direction on my production design, and I have Walt Disney to thank for that.
Thank you, Walt. You taught the world new ways to dream.
What will you accomplish today? What inspires you? Make every day count; rejoice in both the failures and the successes in your endeavors. No dream is too big or too small...and everything can be accomplished with faith and trust...and a little bit of pixie dust.
"Somehow I can't believe there are any heights that can't
be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come
true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized
in four C's. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy
and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing,
believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably." ~ Walt Disney
Posts
