Recently, in my painting group, we became involved in a discussion about how to finish a piece. More specifically, how do artists “know” when a piece is completed? There was a general consensus among us that putting the brush down and standing back to consider the notion of “finished” usually involves some amount of resistance. Instead of toying with the idea of completion, we may ask ourselves: “what else does the piece need to give it a final punch?”, or “what is missing?” The concept of completion is often muddled by the urge to continue. The more we work, the less satisfied we are. This is called over-working.
Over-working is a term artists know well. It often sneaks up during the end stages of a piece. It drives us to get it right, and righter still. It is hard to stop because there is often a sense that we are getting closer to perfect, closer to the desired result. There is a kind of frenzy and urgency for us in this phase of creating. Instead of stepping back and taking a breather from our work, which is likely to help, we continue on, which is likely to un-do the power, over-do the subtlety of the piece, and leave us with a sense of failure.
The tell-tale sign of over-working lies in the ultimate horror that somehow the truth and power of our piece has been lost, or weakened. Nearing the end of our careful work, we realize that we have blown it. We ruined our creation.
So what are the psychological underpinnings during the end stages of our creative process? Why do we re-work to the point of dissatisfaction?
Saying goodbye is hard. The more intimate and deeply personal a connection, the more complex the ending usually is. Painting and art creativity is an internal dialogue, it is deep and personal. Being finished represents a separation, the end of an intimate exchange.
Over-working a piece may serve us by prolonging the bitter goodbye, and allows us to keep the piece from its final destination. It may soon hang in a gallery to be examined and discussed by strangers. There are some tips to be considered in eluding the seductiveness of over-working:
1. Start another work. The need to continue the work will “transfer” well to a brand-new piece. Perhaps think of the new piece as a version of the last one.
2. Walk away from it, get a drink, have a snack, talk to another artist. Look at it tomorrow. Breaking away physically often leads to a fresh perspective and clarity.
3. Hang it on a wall at home and “live with it” for a week, a few months, or a year!. New aspects will emerge.
4. Keep it on a visible wall so that neighbors, family, friends are able to see it. Only draw attention to it if you desire feedback. It may be bring wonderful insights to listen to others’ reactions about your painting.
On a final note, over-working can sometimes be productive. When we are less attached to a piece and curious about the process, trying a new medium or a new subject matter, for instance, the issue of over-working can be a great teacher. The possibility of ruining our creation becomes mute when the emphasis is the process, and less on the product. When we as artists become blocked as in the case of over-working, it is helpful to reflect on our relationship to our process in order to become informed about our expressive style and thereby deepening our creative journey. The following questions might be useful in furthering the understanding of ourselves as we discover that we are embroiled in the over-working frenzy:
“Am I wary of endings in other arenas of my life?”
“What other situations in my life does this over-working surge remind me of?”
“Why am I SO intent on continuing- what happens if I stop (for now)?”
“What if I don’t get it right this time?”
“Is it okay to enjoy this and to let go of the need to finish it ‘perfectly’?”