Could You Paint On the Outside of the Frame?
Posted July-27-2006
Fun-Storming 'Outside of the Box'
Imagine: You love to paint. You're standing in front of a blank canvas mounted inside of a beautiful frame. You have permission to paint anything on the canvas that your heart desires — with this one catch: You must consider the frame as an extension of the canvas and paint your picture over it. Could you do it? Would you do it? Why or why not?

I wonder how conditioned we are as artists (writers, crafters, inventors, etc.) to accept creative conventions without question — to stay within the safe parameters of doing things the way they've always been done — the way they're expected to be done. Paintings can never extend beyond their frames. Books must always have a tidy ending. Inventions must have mass-appeal and retail for $19.99 (CALL NOW and we'll double your pleasure by sending you a second one for FREE!).

Do we continually resist new opportunities to paint on the 'outside of the frames' in our creative lives? Or do we dare allow curiosity to lead us to trying something different — even just one time to see what happens? It's just paint.

Curiosity may have killed the cat. But it's also given Curious George an amazing adventure-filled life. Just ask the man with the yellow hat. He knows. •

© 2006 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com. All rights reserved.