"Intuitive" (unavailable)

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Intuitive is the opposite of preconceived. However, the more thoroughly you know something, the easier it is to be intuitive. It reminds me of a book by Malcolm Gladwell called Blink. The premise of the book is that an expert in any field can spot a counterfeit in their expertise in the blink of an eye. The same is true for design. The more you know, the more "intuitively" you will be able to make decisions in your process.

Working intuitively is also quite dependent on an individual artist's aesthetic and what they are trying to communicate. And after completing at least 170 (6 x 6's), I can guarantee you that intuitive efforts don't always turn out well! The most successful intuitive effort for me to date on this blog was posted on August 27th, and the piece is "Smudging Lines". If I could pull that off with every effort, I would be ecstatic!

There are a few things that would help facilitate this kind of success. One of the most helpful things for me is to look at all kinds of color arrangements and images that convey the mood I want to create. From there, I choose techniques that will set me in that direction. From there I respond intuitively by acting on any "hunch" that comes to mind. Most of the techniques I've learned have followed this pattern. By working intuitively, you will be surprised at how much you learned in all those workshops or exhibit experiences because they have a way of bubbling to the surface as you create.   And of course, blogging every day will really propel this process forward. Just something to think about.