The Concept and Application of “Happy Accidents”

Greetings and salutations Everyone!

In today’s post I thought it would be a wonderful idea to discuss the idea of how and what we universally define as “happy accidents” and my perspective on them and how they have personally affected my work.

While I personally look forward to what we generally and collectively define as happy accidents, I also find it very unwise to rely on them. When I think about the grand scheme of things and our highest desirable goals as artists trained in the classical atelier tradition, I can’t help but to come to the conclusion that not only is this kind of training/formula helpful in showing us where we consciously want to go, but it also guides us into the unknown. Even coming from personal experience, I feel that it aides in relieving us of constricting biases.

One of the best attitudes or mental habits I fell that I have gained from my experience in the Aristides Atelier was that in order for our work to be successful, it is best to remain in control of every variable at all times within the drawing/painting. In a strange and paradoxical way, it is as if we want our happy accidents to be on purpose!

You ever notice how people never really question things when they’re going right...only when they’re going wrong you know? And then you think...but why would they? Seems like wasted energy right? But even when considering that possibility, I still feel there’s great value in that. If there is anything that “happy accidents” have taught me, it’s that they can only be of great value if there results can be repeated.

What I find beautiful about the mind is its ability to pick out inconsistencies. It almost gravitates towards them. In everyday life and taken to its extreme, one could possibly come to the conclusion that that kind of perspective is a result of cynicism. But at the same time one can’t deny that this psychological skill is built into us for a reason as a sort of human defense mechanism. As artists, we can take advantage of this “mental trick”. As long as we allow ourselves to make corrections as we find them without focusing on the end results, we can move forward in a constructive manner.

As I’ve probably hinted at before, I find it wise to cultivate a consistent attitude towards appreciating our own mistakes. I believe in doing so helps to relieve our dependency on the idea of happy accidents and moving forward in a blind trust. In using our mistakes as guideposts and always correcting them as we see them, helps us become stronger artists.

How have happy accidents affected your work?

Please feel free to let me know what you think?

Thanks for reading Everyone!

-James Hansen
https://jameszenartist.weebly.com/