Michael's Self-portrait
© Michael Werner, 2010.
What inspires you in your creativity?
There are many things that inspire me in my creativity. It can be an article in a newspaper or a magazine, something I see on the street, a movie, music or a song title to be more precise. The same is true of a book. Many times it’s not the contents or story of the book itself that inspires me, it’s the title. I don’t even have to read it to be inspired. I know many things I wrote are just clichés and probably you have heard them many times before, but even in clichés there are many truths and I guess for creativity it is just this way. Sometimes I just sit quietly and something pops into my mind and this could lead into a wonderful work of art. You can’t force it, it just comes. For me, the best inspiration is life itself, I walk around with open eyes and an open mind. Sometimes I can’t even explain why this or that caught my attention.
Another big inspiration for me is travelling, seeing other cities, countries and cultures and again, walking around with open eyes and being curious about things that are different to my everyday life are the best inspiration. I grab my camera and love to just wander around and take photos of what ever is interesting for me. Being in an unfamiliar place makes it much easier, so many things catch my attention and curiosity. This does not happen so often in my home city.
A big inspiration for me was when I saw, in an art magazine, photos by Jack Pierson for the first time. It was like a dawn and this was the point when I really started working with photography. I was totally in love with Jack’s photos and wanted to do similar things. I guess this was the point when I got seriously infected by photography.
What is the process you apply to being creative in your field?
It is something within me. It’s hard to explain, I just have to do it, it is like a fever to create something. When I haven’t done anything creative for a while I get nervous and restless and even depressed, so I have to start again to stop this state. As soon as I start being creative, the feeling of satisfaction comes back and I just enjoy doing art. It all actually started when I began to study graphic design. I had to do many exercises in drawing, composition and so on. Everything I did was easy for me, I loved to do it and it felt great. It was the first time in my life I had the feeling of doing the right thing and it was exactly what I wanted to do. It was also the time when I got my first “professional camera”. My parents gave me a Canon A1 with two lenses as a Christmas present. This camera was my most precious possession and I started taking photos with it, first it was all part of the study. I had a small darkroom and developed B/W photos. After the study, I did mostly drawings, they were very surreal and Dali like, later I realized that it was like a psycho therapy for me. I was always a very shy and introverted person, full of self-consciousness and many times I was too scared to even leave the house. I was very depressed in this time and my drawings helped me to let all of it out. I didn’t know it at this time though. I just sat and drew what ever came into my mind. After this surreal drawing period I was in love with the American Pop Art. My heroes were Jasper Jones, Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol. I also changed the medium to pastel and my work got more colourful and more open. I started to collect art books and studied the work of my heroes, read a lot about art and step by step got more aware of what I am doing. The phase of self therapy was over and I felt more free to do what I wanted to do. It was still the process of sitting in front of an empty white peace of paper and just started without knowing how the work will look like when it’s finish.
Today I have a clear concept of what I want to do and then go out and shoot. I work on different projects with a clear vision but still leave space for spontaneous shots. At the moment when I take these photos I often don’t know exactly what to do with them, but finally they find their way into a project or series which isn’t even created yet. I shoot many photos for the different project, then work on the raw files and develop them how I want to have them and get the most out of them. Then comes probably the most important part, editing the photos and put a portfolio together that is strong and to the point of the concept of the series. This is the hardest part and many times it needs the help of someone else. I am very lucky that I have the best adviser you can image to work together with on the editing process.
Where does the confidence or motivation come from to keep doing what you do?
As I already wrote above, first it was like a self therapy for my. I always had weak self confidence and doing art helped me in finding my place and feeling better and doing what felt the right thing for me. I could express myself in drawings, paintings and photography in ways I could have never done it in “real life” because I was just too scared of almost everything. First I started, it became like a fever I never got rid of and I never wanted get rid of. I love to create something beautiful, a work of art that gives people good feelings or associations. I want to show the beautiful side of life, the colours, the positive emotions, the funny moments in life. For me it’s such a wonder being able to give people good feelings through my art. I love what I do and am serious about what I create. I have a deep respect and love for people and animals and showing this in my art is what my motivation comes from. It also keeps me going on to create more. In the last two years, I really got more serious in taking my art more seriously and not just something that can be done when my time permits and when the other things, like cleaning the house, washing and so on are done. This is just a procrastination and I realized that my art has more worth for me than this.
How do you evaluate your success as a creative person?
Success as a creative person for me hasn’t necessarily anything to do with financial or business success.
It has something to do with doing exactly what you want to do in your art. No matter if it is so called hip, trendy or in fashion. It has to come out of yourself and transform your inner-self into the outer world. If you are happy and satisfied with what you are doing and you have good feelings about what you created, than this is a success for me. First you work for yourself and when other people also like what you do than it’s great and wonderful. This is the icing on the cake. Being true to yourself and to your own creativity - this is success for me. Following trends or fashion can be fatal. First it might work, but the so called success won’t last long, because you don’t do it with your heart and people will notice it sooner or later. This is the opposite of success as a creative person for me.
Of course I also love to get recognition for what I am doing, and to exhibit my work is a wonderful thing. This gives me the chance to share what I love with others. To receive messages from people saying that my work inspired them or that they like what I am doing is also a beautiful success for me. I felt successful after my first museum show when I got the opportunity to live and work for some time in New York, in the studio of the Hessische Kulturstiftung (Cultural foundation of the State of Hesse, Germany). This was a reward of my work and it showed me I was on the right path. Today, having the opportunity to donate artworks for charity events like Visual AIDS and Masters Mystery Art Show and being able to give support is something I am really thankful for.
Where should people start, when they don't know where to start?
Find out what you love, what attracts you in the world or what disturbs you. These are the things you can start with. What medium fits with you? Is it painting, drawing, writing, dancing, theatre, photography or working with wood or clay or whatever else comes into your mind? Just do what you love, it can be anything and just do it for yourself. No one else even has to see it. It is only for you. Listen to your feelings and emotions and don’t try to do things you think others would like. First it has to be for you and only for you, be selfish in this way. No one else has to like it except you. Be kind to yourself and be open for new things or for surprises. Creativity has its own ways, allow it to lead you and you will be on your right path.
Copyright for all words and images, Michael Werner - 2010.
Thanks for this fascinating and open insight into your creativity Michael! Our creativity challenge for the coming month is to create an artwork, in whatever form or media you choose, that is just for yourself. Don't think about how it would be received or evaluated by anyone else, just form something beautiful that is exactly what you would like to make and see.
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