Should Creatives Revisit Old Artworks?

by | Develop Your Unique Artist Voice | 4 comments

Photo Credit: Theresa Iovcheva
What projects have you stored away to collect dust?

My ideas always come to me when I least expect them. Just before bed I often have a litany of ideas and list them manically, as if they are all brilliant and worth starting. Then I wake and I think a bit less of them, but I save the list just in case. I have woken from dead sleep with entire poems in my head. I’ve solved problems while sleeping. Other ideas come while I’m at my job working on problems of an entirely different sort. I now carry a little book with me where ever I go so I can always take notes. I don’t want to lose them from memory forever. Yet, I rarely return to those notes. I have even gone digital and keep a notes list of art ideas in my iPhone. I need to make a better effort of reviewing these notes methinks.

I’ve made it clear more than once I am a woman of order. Funny that my ideas and creativity never seems to express itself in any kind of order. But I can tackle goals I make to achieve those ideas with order. And I’m at it again.

Last year I wrote an ebook called ARTSpeak.  I sold it via an Indie site, which has since decided to close its doors.  I tried, in its current incarnation, to convert it to be Kindle Fire or iPad friendly (it definitely needs to be in color) but the formatting looked horrid. So here I am, reformatting the entire book in InDesign, a program I know but only a bit. Needless to say its a bit slow. But this summer, its part of my wonderful summer mind map and I’m spending at least 30 min to an hour every day on it. It isn’t a lot, because I find the process abhorrent, but I will get it done. And slow and sure can win the race! I hope to now work on 2-3 pages of reformatting per day until its done. Then I’m going to try it out on my fiance’s beautiful iPad and hope for the best that it converts properly. I believe in ARTSpeak a lot and its been on the backburner way too long now. So, this will get done this summer, along with a move, the start of a new job, an app development and oh, artmaking. Who ever said I didn’t like to be busy?

Photo Credit: Gareth Weeks
Is it time to review? Does an old work deserve a revisit and some tweaking?

Putting something on the backburner doesn’t for me mean its forever dead and gone. In fact, I believe having space from when the ebook was first sold online and published will allow me to review my writing and layout and enhance the product for those interested. I have had positive reviews of the work and I mean to garner more. And after this one, the next one will be that much easier, especially since I will work directly in InDesign from the beginning. (I have just heard that there is an App now for making iBooks… anyone know anything about this?)

Have there been moments where you feel so removed from projects they feel a distant memory? Do you let these distant projects remain a dream or how have you reignited your interest in a project partially finished? Share with other creatives below.

BE COURAGEOUSLY CREATIVE: Can you recognize when an old work deserves revisiting? How might you strategize to improve it?

4 Comments

  1. victoria
    victoria on July 13, 2012 at 11:06 am

    Hi,

    The book sounds really interesting. I thought I would draw your attention to another option which is Ben who makes my magazine.He has recently launched a fantastic new ebook publishing service for writers..he has been converting them for years now! The great thing is there are no upfront fees..as and when the book sells he keeps a small royalty. So handy for us writers as you just give him the file and concentrate on more writing and promoting the work itself. Anyway..have a look if you start getting weary of the formatting! 🙂 http://www.selfselfself.com. Victoria

    Reply
    • Artist Think
      Artist Think on July 13, 2012 at 12:01 pm

      Victoria,

      Thank you so much! Sometimes I am a do it myself person to a fault. I’m definitely going to look into this. This may offer my ebook an opportunity to revamp and be better than it was.

      Best wishes to you and thanks for following Artist Think!

      Reply
  2. Patrick Ross
    Patrick Ross on July 13, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    Kudos for revisiting the book, Carrie, particularly with everything going on in your life right now. I don’t think some people fully appreciate the labor of love that comes with self-publishing/indie publishing, the work involved and the passion. I wish you luck with it.

    The beginning of your post reminds me a lot of what I’ve written about, using your subconscious as a creative muse. So much of my creativity stems from the process of going to sleep and waking up. Nice to hear an artist I respect who works in multiple media describe something similar.

    Reply
    • Artist Think
      Artist Think on July 13, 2012 at 2:56 pm

      Hi Patrick, Thanks so much. I really believe in helping others and I feel like this book helps people grow more confident talking about art. I’m hoping I can improve upon it and make it more ebook friendly so I can build greater readership.

      I want to spend more time discussing and investigating use of subconscious as a muse. It is so important and so often discussed by different artists. I find it interesting that some people seem to feel they are stuck and beholden to their subconscious (and thus trapped when “it isn’t working”) while others harness it as a strength of creative process. And what can I say, great minds think alike! 🙂

      Reply

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