Creativity Exercise
Write each of these on a slip of paper & keep them in a
jar. When you are stuck on a painting, or the idea is just not working, pull
one out & do whatever it says.
Exaggerate the lines
Exaggerate a shape
Exaggerate contrast between light & dark
Exaggerate the colors
Increase the size of one object
Decrease the size of one object
Change the contrast in focus (sharp vs. blurry)
Exaggerate the texture
Expand the center of the image
Expand the sides
Expand the top
Expand the bottom
Expand the corners
Remove the center
Remove the sides
Remove the top
Remove the bottom
Remove the corners
Tell a story with a metaphor
Introduce a humorous element
Superimpose layers and images
Repeat an image
Repeat a pattern
Add more patterns
Remove any repeated images/patterns
Add your own random alternatives. You may interpret each of
these slips any way you wish. ‘Expand the center’ might mean starting a new
image that focuses only on the central object or pattern of your previous work.
It might also mean blurring the edges around the center to make the viewer
focus on the center. It might also mean increasing the size of the center of
your image and layering it right over the top of the existing work. Your choice
– your interpretation.
This is a quick way to break through some of the habits and
patterns that are making your work seem stale.
