Reading Post: Twyla Tharp

One problem that I can see myself having is finding results in my art. As Twyla says, "A painter has those sketches littering the floor to look at later. A writer can read what's been written. A composer can jot down the notes that enticed his ear. I didn't have a way to capture my improvising when I started out (this was the 1960's, before the invention of portable video). It bothered me that I was wasting a lot of good movement in the studio." I can relate to this because I am always worried that I am wasting time or spending time doing something with no significance to my results. Twyla coped with this my scratching. In other words, leaving herself open to everything.

Another issue that I can see is coming up with ideas. In the reading, she talks about many ways to handle situations like these, ranging from listening to other people's ideas, to practicing what your already good at. She talks about finding your inspiration throughout the entire passage, and how it will not come to you, you have to meet it half way.

One more thing that I am capable of getting myself into is over planning or over thinking. A quote from the passage says, " The most productive artists I know have a plan in mind when they get down to work. They know what they want to accomplish, how to do it, and what to do if the process falls off track. But there's a fine line between good planning and over planning to inhibit the natural evolution of your work." I am afraid that I will begin a plan and want to strive for it, but when it comes down to making it, I realize how unhelpful the plan was and veer off into a different direction. This helped me realize that sometimes an outstanding plan is not the best way to go if I am having trouble creating it. It can also take letting go of the plan to have a positive outcome.