How do you come up with these ideas?

One of the questions customers often ask is “how do you come up with these ideas?”, a question which is well known by many artists. We always try to answer it of course, although it’s quite hard to elaborate on how you get any inspiration at all. Only people who practice art on a serious/professional level understand the process. Let’s try to explain it a little bit anyway.

Getting started

Because not every artist works in the same way, they also don’t think alike and don’t have the same conceptual process. Even Veerle and I don’t share the same way of getting from point A (idea) to point B (creating).

Rick van den Berg

Th e ideas of my large pieces and even some of the abstract Origin of Joy sculptures are derived from sketches I make. The sketching process for my larger paintings is quite comprehensive, with many hours of research, assembling, and drawing.

Veerle Ritstier

Veerle also does a lot of research, and sometimes she makes a sketch, but her creative process is a little more freestyle than mine. She uses photos of, for example, mushrooms as reference while she’s creating individual bits for her intricate sculptures. You can see this for example in her sculpture Concurrency.

Origin Of Joy

For both of us working on Origin of Joy is way more ‘freestyle’, so usually without insanely detailed sketches or research. In the picture on the right you see a sketch of our work The Table is Turning. This is one of the few works in the Origin of Joy series where we actual made a sketch of the work. Most of the time it’s more about feeling, flow, and of course bringing positive vibes into the works. That’s why that’s such a great switch between our individual works and Origin of Joy.

Inspiration for ideas

This is sometimes an isolated question. However it does belong to the complete process. Inspiration is always difficult to explain. Not only is it very personal, but also a lot of times it’s completely random. It can originate from a single picture, a piece of music, or an idea. For example: while watching a TV show I saw a sex scene; an orgy with lots of moving bodies. Immediately I got the idea to create a piece where bodies are melting together (the work: Devine Energy Supplying Infinitely Revived Ecstasy). Other times it’s just like getting hit by lightning. Sudden and intense, but completely out of the blue. In other words: unexplainable.

Veerle gets her inspiration also from tv shows, but also from flipping through a anatomy book. A walk in nature will also do the trick. But most of the time inspiration comes, when you least expect it. If you are relaxed and not even trying.

Origin of Joy is such an abstract project that we get inspired by anything and everything. Natural elements, playing with a certain form, or just go nuts on weird idea’s.

There is not one way of getting inspired, every time is different. And that’s part of the fun

Rick