25 May 2012

Creativity as a Form of Magic

This post is written by contributing author Anabel Bouza.

It has been said that Art is the last form of magic that exists. I hold that to be a half-truth.

Illustration by Anabel Bouza

There is something almost supernatural associated with the act of creating, especially when we conjure the flow: that state where all anxiousness about the work at hand is swept away, and we exist outside of time. While spellbound, our hands don't stop working, nor do the mental processes needed to complete the idea. 

We become a perfect vessel with a higher purpose. 

So what if we can't make our visions materialize from thin air, in a burst of light. Our powers lie in the searing urge to conjure something just because we can imagine it. It's the craving within us that won't be satisfied until a challenge is resolved. It has compelled us, from the very beginning, to populate our world with novel objects and notions.

If we are infused with any form of magic, it would be the sort that allows us to peer through the veil of undreamt things, nurture an idea in the realm of the imagination, and pull it right into our dimension, materialized. 

These powers are not exclusive to artists; they surge through all of us. All human invention is inherently magical.


Anabel Bouza insists there's powerful magic in the action of creating something out of a vague vision, a chill of inspiration. She is an illustrator with a passion for nature, paper manipulation, and pointing her camera at things.

Her appreciation for simplicity dates back to a former life in Cuba - her strange homeland - where she refined the ability to see the alternative uses of common objects, and the enchanting side of things. She's often found blogging as
Weird Amiga, hard at work in her sunny studio, or staring at things as if looking at them for the first time. Her tiny family is comprised of her husband & a turtle; they're new to the city of Chicago, and they love it. Connect to Anabel via facebook and twitter.




8 comments:

  1. wonderful post! as an illstrator i agree that making art can be considered as a form of magic. exuding your emotions/ideas into something is nothing short of magical.

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  2. Your illustrations are the only proof we need that magic exists! Absolutely stunning!

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  3. Thank you, Ea & Laurie!

    Some say that the creative process should be demystified, while some attribute this "magic" to artists only...
    I feel that something is lost in both approaches: we create and improvise on a daily basis, so we tend to lose sight of the fact that some of the things that make us human are wondrous at their root.

    I'm sure everybody has an opinion on this... Of course, not everybody calls it "magic" :)

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  4. What a captivating drawing! I love it! Your beautiful and dreamy articulation of art is magic itself.

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  5. so very lovely ...thank you for sharing your special artistry!!

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  6. Love this post, Anabel! I think your illustration is perfect...I often think of blossoming creativity that comes from somewhere in the middle...I'm sure some would argue that it comes from our minds, and yes, that's true, but work that touches the soul can't be all cerebral. <3

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    1. I find that when I'm really inspired it feels a little bit like the early stages of being in love —it's urgent, and it hurts a little in a good way. :)
      Also, when we see something that reaches us emotionally, the instinctual response comes often form around the rib cage... doesn't it?

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