Artists on Couches — An Exploration of Creative Consciousness

How does intuition guide your creative process, and what does it feel like when you follow it? “As I paint—or prepare to paint—I have a feel of whether I am getting closer to ‘it’ or not. I have a sensing mechanism, a feedback loop of some kind, which tells me that I’m moving in the right direction. Without that mechanism I could not paint.” — Boluwatife Oyediran, Providence, Rhode Island @boluoyediran @artistsoncouches Photo credit: @gabrielrojasart #BoluwatifeOyediran #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

What conditions allow ideas to emerge most freely? “Although I can generally be extremely busy in the studio, just making, and often with a long list of ideas to follow, sometimes, I can feel ‘stuck’ and have to spend time outside the studio or the making process just to think and give some space to develop new ideas. New ideas can occur when travelling - on trains, driving, and people - watching as I go seeing the way people interact especially with their children, or noticing behaviour in the context of society or family. Although occasionally the observations give an idea very quickly for the form a piece might take, sometimes ideas can be very nebulous and I don’t necessarily know how to reflect the thought. Sketch books keep a record and a starting point to develop them further, I always have sketch books close to hand. Often the further development of the ideas comes from being outside and in motion. I am so fortunate to live in the Kent countryside, with dogs, donkeys and hens. A long walk, noticing and listening just to the world around is my go-to for finding and developing ideas, or being in the garden planting vegetables or weeding with the sounds of the landscape around. Being busy outside leaves enough space to let the mind work through the ideas. Then it is back to the studio and let the clay also have a say in finding the final shape, as there should always be room for development throughout the process.” — Jemma Gowland, London, England @jemma.gowland @artistsoncouches #JemmaGowland #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

Describe the moment of inspiration. “For me, inspiration tends to visit when I’m away from the studio, often during a walk or in the shower - in those quiet, in-between moments where my mind can wander. That’s usually when I’m struck with an ‘aha’ moment (and sometimes a ‘hahaha’ moment—my favourite). The trick is to capture that moment before it slips away; you’ll often find me tracing shapes in the air as I walk or sketching onto the shower screen, attempting to do just that. Over time this has grown into a sketchbook filled with what I call ‘seed’ doodles. Most of my paintings begin this way.” — Nathalia Suizu, Melbourne, Australia @hello_natsui @artistsoncouches Photo credit: Dave Kulesza / Fenton&Fenton #NathaliaSuizu #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

What role does connection play in your creative process? “Everything is connected—from the first spark of inspiration and intertextual layers to the physical act of making. Connection is the bridge where my work moves from the solitary to the shared, entering a realm where the observer finally inhabits the narrative.” — Charlotte Salt, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom @charlotte_salt_ @artistsoncouches #CharlotteSalt #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

What does it feel like to be in a creative flow? “Being in the creative flow feels like being between a panic attack and a beatific state. I wage a battle with my limitations and if I overcome some I experience a sense of relief or satisfaction.” — Jackie Shatz, Tappan, Rockland County, New York @jackieshatz @artistsoncouches Photo credit: Michael Zansky #jackieshatz #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

Why do you create art? “Art for me is about creating meaning and distilling the experience of being alive. I don’t call myself religious, maybe spiritual. But I guess in a way art serves the same purpose as religion in my life. It’s a connection between spirit and the physical world.” — Niklas Asker, Malmö, Sweden @niklasasker @artistsoncouches #NiklasAsker #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

Where do you ideas live before you make them? “Ideas exist in the contradictions of everyday life—in the gap between what we need and what is forced on us. They take shape in the patterns of survival we build inside those conditions.” — Jordan Sullivan, Queens, New York @_jordansullivan_ @artistsoncouches #JordanSullivan #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

What inspires your art? “My art delves into the profound concept of the mind, emphasizing the critical distinction between the ‘two worlds apart’ — our internal thoughts and the external reality. I have come to understand that our mind forms the most integral part of our being, making it essential to guard it diligently. We truly become what we think about; our thoughts manifest our realities, inviting viewers to cultivate inner peace and confidence by consciously nurturing their mental landscapes.” — Ayotunde Afolayan, Lagos, Nigeria @afolayan_emmanuel.a @artistsoncouches #AyotundeAfolayan #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

What role does connection play in your creative process? “Connection is everything. For me it begins with an intuitive connection to materials and forms. My focus is often rooted in biological structures that link across organisms and wider natural systems; how individual parts rely on each other to exist as a whole. As a maker, I need to feel that connection myself. I have to believe in the work enough to carry it through to completion. Over time I’ve come to understand that this sense of connection extends far beyond the studio. It’s vital to connect with a community, whether that’s other artists or the people who encounter the work. I’ve realised working in isolation can be nourishing, even necessary but the work only fully activates when it’s shared. That exchange of ideas, reactions, interpretations that’s what brings things to life. The connection between people.” — Daisy Collingridge, Midlands, United Kingdom @daisy_collingridge @artistsoncouches #DaisyCollingridge #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

What does it feel likt to be in a creative flow? “The best way to describe this feeling would be weightless, as I feel that time and space around me are woven together and they cancel each other out. I find myself disappearing into the work and the material and I think it has to do with that my technique is all about repetition and I loose track of time. Going in circles, hand rolled coils of clay are placed on top of each other one by one, a single finger pressing down in precise and detailed rows. Countless fingerprints shape the time that has unknowingly passed into a physical object. The clay mimics each movement I make and creates a physical story of my interaction and my time spent with the material.” — Eyvind Solli, Oslo, Germany @eyvindsolli @artistsoncouches #EyvindSolli #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness

How does intuition guide your creative process, and what does it feel like when you follow it? “Intuition is my compass when I create. It never shouts. It’s subtle, and I have to listen closely and be patient. I know it’s there when I feel that spark of excitement. It’s like discovering something hidden, and my job is to peel back the layers until it reveals itself. Curiosity and excitement are what move me forward.” — Melissa Meier, Santa Monica, California @melissameierart @artistsoncouches #melissameier #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive

Does your art practice connect you to something bigger than yourself? If so, how? “Yes, it connects me to shared experiences around family, culture, community, and place. A lot of my work comes from thinking about home and belonging, and how those ideas are shaped through community and everyday environments. Having conversations with people who connect with specific imagery or ideas through the work, often because they’ve had similar experiences, but also because it offers a different perspective on their own. Those exchanges become a shared space, where different backgrounds and histories can overlap. Through that, the work opens up dialogue and creates a point of connection that extends beyond my own experience.” — Shingo Yamazaki, Los Angeles, California @shinnyzak @artistsoncouches #shingoyamazaki #artistsoncouches #onthecouch #artistarchive #creativeconsciousness