For me the creative process works form the inside out, not from an attempt to duplicate what is already outside of me – when working from copycat mode, I inevitably catch a bad case of the yawns.
Focusing on the visual aesthetics of a piece distracts me from working with the essence of a particular topic or idea. To me technical study, though valuable, is best left in the classroom. For instance, when drawing a simple line I like to focus/experience the drawing of the line - feeling the line as it expresses, manifest; experience the creation of the line even if it’s a line of frustration or confusion. What does the line feel like inside me when it is manifesting? Not focusing on what the line needs to look like, where it needs to go or what it needs to do visually for the piece. Working from awe and discovery is a heck of a lot more fun, not to mention a lot more interesting.
An artist’s job is not to reproduce the visible, but to explore the possible.
I enjoy studying technique (this has not always been the case) purely as an exploration into a certain discipline. Afterward, I try to just forget it and trust that through the concentrated act of interacting with a particular discipline that it has integrated itself into my awareness and abilities. From there I just have to trust it, and let is express when appropriate to do so.
