Last February, I talked about the creative process and its distinct phases. Thanks for your interest and support. Join me as I begin describing my experience in developing each stage. Come on, rattle your dags, and let’s get going!

INSPIRATION, Preparation

Absorbing knowledge, experience, insight and context for an imaginative idea. Brainstorming and gathering raw material and data to interpret a “vision” in which an image, a sight, a sound… can be articulated in the mind.

This first stage of the creative process is where I define the need, desire, or problem, and collect generic data. It's a time for me to completely immerse myself in a particular subject — this for me is an ethereal phase!

I typically need to feel passionate about a project for the finished product to be successful. I gather and absorb as much raw material as possible to allow the information to enter my subconscious and stimulate the sentiment I want to express. This might be the reason why each artists' book demands a lengthy period of time to develop. Drawing on personal memories can be exhausting, especially going back numerous years. Though, it is enjoyable to grasp the personal growth one goes through during the progression of an art project.

I also need to discern the tools I utilize to accomplish the desired look and feel of my books. I have enjoyed photography and collage for a long time, and my digital camera is the accessory to this art medium. So, it’s no surprise that Photoshop has been my creative tool of choice. The software permits the exploration of ideas without constriction or boundaries. I can easily blend reality with fantasy by retouching, editing or transforming photos — composites — to capture my imagination.

Another tool I implement to explore my recollections includes surfing the internet to brainstorm ideas. Conversations are also a good device to get insight and to inculcate in my consciousness the many aspects of a theme.

In late 2021, I was delighted to be indeed inspired again. The idea didn’t merely and suddenly light up in my head. It all began from the premise that the last two years have been challenging for us all. I profoundly missed the personal contact with friends and family, especially my elderly mom back in Canada. Loneliness set in and caused one of the longest slumps ever felt in my art career. I wanted to feel the normality of life, the joy, the freedom… again. The only way for me to explore all those feelings, was to be nostalgic. The past made me reflect, and the farther back I went, the more events and memories of innocent times permeated my dreams and my life…

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. Be happy when you think about a good memory. That’s as simple as it gets: ***Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.*** *— Dr. Seuss*

In 1968, I was fourteen with quiet and gentle innocence. I was struck with the winds of love. A teenage crush caused my heart to beat a little faster. Reminiscing and taking into consideration any reality or object of an irrational or foolish attachment — I got creative. I began to interpret a vision of the project.

My mind was going many miles per hour, and thoughts enveloped me for days. For me, this is part of the process. The word infatuation came to mind and encompassed my every thought as I grasped how lovely it was to have been fourteen and discovering the opposite sex.

Looking back at my youth and reminiscing of the time when I became aware of my sensuality, brought me back to happier times. Who could have made my heart beat faster?

My connection to the years 1965-1973 was getting stronger. With photography being the base of my art, I suddenly embraced the need to look into my family albums. The photographs illustrated my youth and innocence!

Thanks to the internet, I started searching for movies and TV shows predominantly of that period. While going down the rabbit hole of the Internet, I was presented with celebrity idols I pined over throughout high school with my girlfriends. This task helped to rekindle that flame that flickers in the hearts of teenagers for celebrity idols and songs during a special period of life.

This phase lasted a few weeks as I revelled in “puppy-love.” Stay tuned for the observation phase where I start to explore some themes as I continue the discussion on the INSPIRATION-Observastion Phase. The topic will get more concrete.

Guylaine Couture and I have enjoyed our conversation on the “Creative Process”. With that in mind, here is Guylaine’s response to my INSPIRATION-Preparation post:

The book begins. First there is the choice of subject, something that inspires and interests us to spend time on. Your word "infatuation" is very well chosen. For my part, I always work on several projects at the same time, a limited edition book and an artist's book. They move at different speeds. I like this way of working. When I think about one, I technically work on the other.

I see that you started your research on your feelings, but that you have now extended it to the TV shows of the time, the atmosphere, etc. It's super interesting.

Like you, the pandemic brought me back to my memories. In my case, I even moved to the region of my childhood. This downtime allowed us to reflect and sometimes brought us back to periods of our lives that we had forgotten.

© 2022 Guylaine Couture. Guylaine’s collection of articles she read as she developed her ideas.

In the creative process, the first step is that of research in the broad sense: looking everywhere, drawing, making connections, finding inspirations or old ideas that we would like to try, etc. This portion of the work can be more or less time consuming, but it is essential to have all the cards, possibilities and options in hand before making any choices. I try to be very open-minded throughout the process especially at this stage. I do things, I build structures, I read, I write down my ideas or draw them. When they're on paper, my brain is free to continue searching.

© 2022 Guylaine Couture. Here are some of Guylaine’s print tests.

I am currently finalizing a book on consciousness. I have read a large number of scientific articles on the subject, (…step 1). So many, that I didn’t know where to start or what I wanted to say. The core had been an article on the consciousness of pigs. For me, that had to be the heart of the book. Finally, after careful consideration, it won’t even be in the final version.

Consequently, each book is different and has its own life. My intention is always the same, to sensitize people through the artist's book format on a subject that challenges me.