We recently connected with Rosa Vrij and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rosa, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
As an artist, understanding how I can generate my creativity and overcome blocks has been a big search. My challenge often lies in starting – especially when I work alone and there are no external deadlines. Some creative blocks have been so bad and lasted too long, which almost made me change career.
I’ve had my fair share of creative blocks, because I tend to overthink things, be self-critical and am overly perfectionistic. One specific experience always stayed with me. During an exchange at the art academy, I followed an extracurricular drawing class. Each lesson we had to bring 10 A0-sized papers, a bottle of East Indian ink and a brush. Our teacher would randomly pick a saying from a dictionary, and we would get 10 minutes to respond to it with a drawing. I panicked. This gigantic empty canvas was staring at me, while the other students were making elaborate, beautiful drawings. I would self-consciously wait for 9 minutes and make a scribble during the last minute, leading to absolutely dreadful sketches. But then my 10th drawing was something very different, I really surprised myself with something interesting. I then realized that I had needed those first 9 drawings to get to something new.
I now have a better understanding what conditions I need when starting up: prioritizing quantity over quality, time restrictions and shutting up my inner critic. A method I often use is:
I’ll grab four papers and draw four rectangles on each of them. I’ll set a timer of 20 minutes in which I’ll have to make sixteen drawings, for example ideas for installations. Now there is no time to overthink. When I’m done, I don’t care as much about the ‘bad’ ones, because I understand they are part of a process, they are contextual. I used to draw with pencils but switched to fine liners, which can’t be erased. It forces me to make bolder decisions. I think it’s often better make the ‘wrong’ decision than no decision.
Besides this, the practical conditions of a project are also important. That I am not carrying the full responsibility alone, but that there are partners involved. That when I am also the project leader, the productional tasks are simple. And that there is a healthy budget. Worrying about money is a real creativity killer.
And in the end it’s just about following the fun, the sparks! I believe enthusiasm is a really good indicator for great ideas. Something your inner critic shouldn’t destroy.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As a performance maker and visual artist, I create universes around the same research. Such a universe develops over many years, encapsulating a series of interdisciplinary artworks: from an interactive book presentation to a live drawing. Inspired by video games, board games, and graphic novels, I incorporate elements of instruction and interaction.
My work is rooted in intersectional feminism. It’s empathetic, poetic, personal, non-hierarchical and finds its meaning between the lines. I think the focus on economic value, efficiency and competition has gone way overboard in our society. That’s why I believe art plays a crucial role in connecting people to themselves and to each other. My work activates the senses so that the audience can meet themselves, each other and their environment in the here and now.
I used to feel a bit like an alien on this planet. I am highly idealistic and worry a lot about injustice. Art has helped me make sense of the world and my position in it. It’s how I get to stay true to myself while criticizing society and exploring alternative ways of coexisting. Besides, I get to take my imagination and million interests seriously. It’s a privilege that I get to do this for a living!
I am currently building a new universe: The chair, the wig and the sheep. I’m exploring the codes of the comic book, the way that the medium is constructed. In my first work I’m translating those codes into an interactive theater performance about a class struggle. It’s going to be an absurd world with a butler revolution, fancy armpit hairstyles and rich people being turned into furniture!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. When I was 10 years old I wanted to be three things: an actress, an illustrator and a fashion designer. I was very future oriented and forced myself to choose one thing to become very good at and drop the rest. All of my teenage years were spent on chasing that goal, doing plays, following dance classes, singing lessons… I got stuck in a tunnel vision, became so self-critical that I lost joy in it. When I finally auditioned for the theater school, I froze and it was a complete disaster. After some searching, I enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Arts program, and found my passion back for all of those other interests. Now my whole practice is not only interdisciplinary, but one big work in progress. Searching has become not a means to reach a goal, but the goal itself. I think I have found a lot more acceptance in being in the present.
2. At the Master in Theater we were taught that your intuition can be a research tool. This was incredibly insightful to me! A lot of people have told me I’m too sensitive. Even during my art bachelor I felt that I had to rationalize everything, to ‘defend’ my artistic choices. Now I think my intuition is one of my biggest strengths: it’s my motor, curiosity, creativity and moral compass. Not only as an artist but as a human being.
3. If you don’t know something, it’s a chance to broaden your knowledge! I used to feel like my frame of reference was very small, and felt so ashamed when something came up in a conversation that I didn’t know. But it’s so freeing to be honest about it, and to see this as a learning opportunity. When I started sharing this sentiment I realized that a lot of people feel this. I still hate it when people say ‘You don’t know that??!!’. Instead of feeling embarrassed I know just think, that is not a very nice thing to say. Let’s embrace the unknown and learning!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My sister! Despite our age gap (five years) we have always been very close. She’s taught me a lot without taking away space to find things out for myself. We work in the same sector, and even though our work and methods differ quite a lot, we share many interests and have a similar way of thinking. She’s helped me to recognize my talents in moments in which I was stuck or lost, and has always reminded me of the important things in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rosavrij.com
- Instagram: @rosavrij
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosa-vrij-09b45435/
Image Credits
1. ‘The soles of my feet merge’, 2024
2. ‘The chair, the wig and the sheep’ (work in progress), 2022, picture by Laura Knipsael
3. ‘Daily drawings’, 2023
4. ‘house’ (publication), 2022
5. ‘house’ (book presentation), 2023, picture by Cem Altınöz
6. ‘HUIS III’ (work in progress)
7. ‘The chair the wig and the sheep’ (work in progress)
8. ‘The tip of my head itches’, 2022
9. ‘Collective Container’, 2021, picture by Tomas Mutsaers
