Welcome to Soul to Series!
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In this 5 step mini-course you'll transform your vague ideas into an actionable plan, one you can use to create a meaningful series of artwork that satisfies your creative itch and provides a cohesive collection for your website and gallery proposals.
Each step includes a brief lesson and an Insight Inventory Workbook exercise. By the end, you'll have a personalized plan to explore your inspirations, supporting your unique creative process. You'll gain clarity on what to explore and the concrete steps to get started, boosting your confidence and reducing overwhelm and anxiety as you dive into your creative work. |
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Embrace this process with an open mind. You might see some things you're not sure you want to do, or things you’ve already tried. You might think it’s not worth your time or lack faith in your abilities. You might feel anxiety about committing to an unknown. I want you to have that beginner’s mind coming in so that you can trust your ideas, be decisive, and commit to making this series.
Let's start by being clear what a series is and how it differs from a collection or just simply creating art in your style. It’s important to be clear on the difference between a series and a collection so you can match your preferred process to your goals.
Let's start by being clear what a series is and how it differs from a collection or just simply creating art in your style. It’s important to be clear on the difference between a series and a collection so you can match your preferred process to your goals.
Key Points
- A series is an intentional set of limits and explorations within a specific theme or idea, decided before starting the work. It involves progression and evolution over time, requiring a balance of spontaneity and self-discipline.
- Creating a series can be challenging, as it requires commitment, confidence in one's choices, and openness to the learning process. The artist must stay focused on the central theme while avoiding boredom or formulaic work, and the resulting pieces may not always be polished or perfect.
- A collection is a curated, polished grouping of art that meets high standards and involves productive criticism, editing, and refinement. It is the public-facing result of behind-the-scenes work.
- Confusion between the concepts of a series and a collection can lead to creative blocks, as they involve different approaches. A series is better suited to spontaneous, intuitive work, while a collection requires more planning and refinement.
Why a series? What even is a series?
A series is an intentional set of limits you explore within. These intentions and limits are decided before you start working and serve as guardrails so you can have flexibility without going off on visual tangents that are unrelated. But most importantly, when you are working in a series, there is an exploration, an evolution. The element of time or of progression is relevant.
Some artists, like Julie Pickard, find it quite easy to work in a series. I asked her about her definition and she said:
"It’s a question of process not product. Exploring something of interest from different perspectives. You can take something so far, and then it’s time to either call it finished, abandon it, or put it aside to return to later (sometimes the returning never happens!). Each step or piece changes you in some way, if you’re open to this, and not trying to impose your own will on the piece."
So how does this result in a beautiful polished body of work? It won’t at first! You might make a lot of pieces that taught you something but that don’t end up being seen by anyone else, unless you want them to see your imperfect journey and the ups and downs you experienced. A series is a commitment to understanding something about your subject, your process, your visual voice - you as an artist. There is something more searching, more intimate, more vulnerable even about a series - it shows your process, your thinking, how your ideas developed and evolved.
Working in a series has its challenges, like balancing spontaneity with self discipline. You have to reign yourself in when you start to go off on a visual or conceptual tangent, and might have to cover up or remove things that stick out. Many worry about getting bored with their series. We can get paralyzed trying to pick the perfect idea that will carry us through, one we are so interested in it will motivate us to keep our commitment. If we aren’t confident in our choices, or are worried about failure, we can become stilted and our work can feel formulaic. If we want to make a series but are planning it out like a collection, there will be a conflict. I’ll be addressing these concerns later in the course.
Some artists, like Julie Pickard, find it quite easy to work in a series. I asked her about her definition and she said:
"It’s a question of process not product. Exploring something of interest from different perspectives. You can take something so far, and then it’s time to either call it finished, abandon it, or put it aside to return to later (sometimes the returning never happens!). Each step or piece changes you in some way, if you’re open to this, and not trying to impose your own will on the piece."
So how does this result in a beautiful polished body of work? It won’t at first! You might make a lot of pieces that taught you something but that don’t end up being seen by anyone else, unless you want them to see your imperfect journey and the ups and downs you experienced. A series is a commitment to understanding something about your subject, your process, your visual voice - you as an artist. There is something more searching, more intimate, more vulnerable even about a series - it shows your process, your thinking, how your ideas developed and evolved.
Working in a series has its challenges, like balancing spontaneity with self discipline. You have to reign yourself in when you start to go off on a visual or conceptual tangent, and might have to cover up or remove things that stick out. Many worry about getting bored with their series. We can get paralyzed trying to pick the perfect idea that will carry us through, one we are so interested in it will motivate us to keep our commitment. If we aren’t confident in our choices, or are worried about failure, we can become stilted and our work can feel formulaic. If we want to make a series but are planning it out like a collection, there will be a conflict. I’ll be addressing these concerns later in the course.
How is a series different from a collection?
Often when people say they want to work in a series, what they are envisioning is more like a collection. A collection is the public facing grouping of art, usually curated. Think about a fashion collection. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on that no one ever knows about. A collection has higher standards. There is a lot more productive criticism and editing and polishing.
Example of a series
Monet’s Haystacks are an example of working in a series. Monet was striving to understand light and color. He didn’t care about haystacks, he just wanted a simple subject he could paint over and over so he could understand light. This was groundbreaking and polarizing. No one had painted like that before. For Monet, the fixed limit of his subject helped him focus on his goal. Just like a scientist keeps many things the same in order to understand what is changing, when working in a series, the limits of your series will help you understand one thing more deeply.
Example of a Collection
Artist Sue Mitchell created a beautiful and ambitious body of work called 52. It consisted of 52 hand pulled solar prints, each one a portrait of one of 52 trees, meticulously crafted. While the subject of the art was the trees, the larger theme was the commitment to craftsmanship and technical achievement. Planning was essential - the creativity happened prior to the actual making of the work.
Similarities and differences between a series and a collection
Understanding the difference between a series and a collection can reveal a creative block. I myself had been trying to create what I now call a collection for years but my spontaneous approach to art is better suited to a series - and I thought I was working in a series! When I realized I was trying to plan while still also working intuitively, my block became obvious.
Let's clarify what the two have in common and the ways they are different. For a group of work to be considered a series (or a collection) it should have a minimum of 5 works, with 4 or more of the following items consistent across all works:
Let's clarify what the two have in common and the ways they are different. For a group of work to be considered a series (or a collection) it should have a minimum of 5 works, with 4 or more of the following items consistent across all works:
- Subject Matter
- Style
- Theme
- Color Palette
- Medium
- Size | Substrate | Orientation
- Techniques and Visual vocabulary
Working in a series or collection has many benefits. It helps create cohesiveness in your work, and refines your visual voice and style. Having limits drives your creativity. You can explore a theme more deeply while indulging in what you love.
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