Whimsical Masterpieces: Creative Aging with John Donato

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Q. What's under the hood? What drives you?

I like to create - anything. 2D, 3D, video, classes, sculpture, graphic design, photography - the list is endless. I also have an analytical mind. I love to know how things work and how to make them more effective

My fascination with these mediums paired with joyful storytelling is like putting peanut butter and chocolate together for the first time. I have always had an appetite for whimsy and novelty that keeps me searching for new opportunities to create something fun.  . Whether painting or developing classes I want the artwork and experience one feels to be original and refreshing. It must make folks feel immense Joy in a new way and if it can ferry in an experiential opportunity to build self awareness and discovery at the same time - mission accomplished! 

Q. Murals, fine art, creative curriculum, professional development, the list goes on. Why so many focal points? 

I can be very spontaneous and playful in style - to a fault, spending large chunks of brain space sweating out new techniques in complex artforms and teaching approaches. Jumping across different skillsets like a Billy-goat.  This cultivates a cross-pollination effect, a hybrid concept that connects seemingly unrelated fields and skills into a new creative fabric.   I seem to have a natural temperament for sorting and filing new connections and accessing them instantly.  I feel like I'm wired for that.

Q. Where do you get your ideas? 

When I need to create - I just reach back into that toolbox or creative pantry, add select contents to my challenge and tease into an idea. Kind of like making a smoothie - use what you know with what you have  -experience tells you about how much you need of each ingredient.

I also practice a multiple thinking regimens.  For example, in that half-sleep state of mind I muster between my first waking moment and rising up to meet the day, I dream-think.  I purposefully stay in that space and plant seeds of projects,  I intentionally make time for it and use it as a playground for open and lucid brainstorming. I record them before I lose them and store them in the pantry.  

Q. Do you ever have creative blocks?

Rarely. And if I feel a bit taxed with one particular project I just let go and shift to another discipline usually of some completely different skillset. I Give it a break knowing something always comes about when it's right - I trust that process and have confidence in it.  I've learned to manage it.

When I committed to becoming a professional artist I decided I would never allow my art to become familiar.  It would prefer it to be timeless.  I focus on originality.  A new concept, a needed solution, or radical approach. I try to stay in the mindset of an inventor. A block to me just means take a break and let my thoughts simmer and eventually the idea (that already exists in the universe) reveals itself. I've learned the more you force, the heavier the gravity. I like to keep my mind nimble.

Q. What advice could you give beginning creators?

I have a few principles I've built into my consciousness that help me along this journey.

1. Embrace fear and the unknown; learn to pivot and you can go anywhere.
2. Dream  big, act small - seek help. 
3. Make failure the old wise friend you love to see - you'll learn from it.
4. Don't compete with others, compete with yourself.
5. Be generous, volunteer, and help others,
6. Teaching is the best way to learn.
7. Connect with others and you will understand more about yourself.
8. Professional Art can be a very tough endeavor.  Take comfort that you are never alone with uncertainty and torment - All artists experience this.
9. Know when to take a break and how, know what recharges your batteries.
10. Be true to yourself. Copying will teach you skills, but forming your own creative self will set you apart and feel more authentic and peaceful.

Q. Any closing perspective you would like to reveal?

I love the art of pivoting in the moment. I never know which direction my creative journey will take, what my next work of art will be, where my next collaborative project will take me, and I am at ease with that. I think those who know me expect that from me. I am an unexpected work in progress. There is no "It" to what it is I do so I never have to fake it.