The creative process, in essence, is an individual in dialogue with themselves and the work. The painter, when at a distance from the easel, can assess and analyse the whole of the work from this vantage. He scrutinises and listens, chooses the next stroke to make, then approaches the canvas to do it. Then, he steps back again to see what he has done in relation to the whole.
Painting’s near and far states are akin to How and Why: the artist, when close to the canvas, is asking How questions related to craft; when he steps back, he raises Why questions concerned with the whole of the work and its purpose. Near and Far may be rephrased as Craft and Analysis, which describe the kinds of questions the artist asks while in each mode.
This relationship can be restated in many different ways, each addressing a necessary balance: How and Why, Near and Far, Making and Thinking, Execution and Strategy, Craft and Analysis.
Text excerpt from Frank Chimero, The Shape of Design, 2012. Original source: shapeofdesignbook.com .