At this stage I had established a crucial point, feelings, as the initial stage of the process of being inspired to create art. My films demonstrated my inner feelings and were inspired by inner visions that I had. The literature (literary critique and quantum physics) has discussed the important role of emotions in creating art, and my interviewees reaffirmed this. Yet, the interviewees also affirmed the importance of intellect and logic. I had yet to decide where to place intellect in relation to emotions, in my thesis chapters. The experience of presenting six papers in conferences and events during my first year of research has helped me to find the answer.
During my paper presentations I have noted that what governs an understanding from my audiences is the emotional input and the ability to express visionary ideas by the speaker. Feedback I received on my presentations suggested the importance of intensity of emotions that come alongside the intellectual theories that I presented. My presentations were based on a considerable literature review, which was presented to audiences together with my films and in what may be called intensified presentations. I noted the role of emotions in the presentations, where the presenter stands in front of what he or she says (not ‘behind what is said’ but rather ‘in front’ of what is said). This demonstrated, in my case, that the creative process is not a theory only but rather an applied part of my research. As one feedback from my presentation in Edinburgh University explained (personal communication, October 2006), ‘I would like to invite you to present in other places around the country, since there is a real need for a challenging and inspiring presentation such as yours’.
Feedback on my presentations taught me that in order to lead someone to understand inspiration they need to be inspired themselves. With this I have assumed that what governs the intellect is the emotion, while the intellect is the tool through which the emotional is expressed. I determined that the next core theme will be logic, which I called ‘acknowledging’, and which will come after the theme ‘feeling’:
Chapter 10: Stimulation (Sensing–Feeling–Acknowledging). Chapter 11: Internalisation (Shape–Movement). Chapter 12: Application (Place–Space).
Under the theme ‘acknowledging’ I discuss the use of words and images to make sense of one’s feelings. However, I do not refer to this act as purely intellectual but rather as an act in which the artist simply acknowledges the inner feelings, registers them, but not intellectualises them for a purpose of trying to explain inner emotions through seemingly systematic intellectual theories. Systematic intellectual theories, such as Quantum Physics, have already demonstrated that this is impossible. More so, Anne Stevenson (
para. 9) believes that psychological theories will find this difficult to explain, saying these experiences are such ‘that no analytical psychologist can explain’.
From my interviews as well as the literature review I concluded that feelings are an initial stage in the process of being inspired to create art, and are followed by a second stage of acknowledgment. I noted the power of emotions through my paper presentations, and dealt with my own inner experiences, trying to visualise them in my art.
That conclusion suggested that the creative process does not necessarily flow from thought but from emotion. Hence my interviews evolved from poets to visual artists focusing on the creative process of the imagery rather than of thought. The literature that I read evolved from literary and scientific critic, to psychological theories and literature on the experiences of artists, such as Blake, Yeats, Futurism, Mondrian, Kirchner, Kandinsky, Pollock, Beuys and Robert Morris. This shift was largely due to the good advice of my new supervisor. With this literature I noted that visual artists discuss not just their inner experiences but also the processes through which they are inspired to create.