TALK

Creative Cuppa
Flow State with Gemma O'Brien

The creative brain works in unique ways. At a time when the industry seems largely to be shaped by outside forces, bringing it back to the artists' subjective experience of creating could present huge positives for commercial work. 

For this special online edition of Creative Cuppa, the question was – what is flow state and why is this experience important? Gemma took us on a journey through her own experiences as a practicing artist as well as the academic theory, rich with possibilities, and gave us plenty of unexpected takeaways along the way. 

The reality is that we are living in a fast-paced environment where AI is a part of our lives now. So I think the question becomes, what is the role of the artist, what is the role of flow state and why is this even important?

– Gemma O'Brien 

Gemma is an artist and illustrator working commercially for well over a decade now, but recently has upped sticks from her home in Australia to study the theory and brain science behind creating, with a masters in Neuroaesthetics at Goldsmiths in London. 

This change of pace is a new frontier for Gemma, but certainly not the beginning of her journey in this space.

Over the years Gemma has found herself experimenting with the conditions and methods that allow her to truly explore her practice and find a state of flow – a state of functioning where a person is completely in the zone and creating in an instinctual, less conscious way – even moving into her own studio space to create her very own artist residency.    

For anyone that exists in the world now, it's harder than ever to be fully immersed because there are so many distractions. Sometimes it actually requires setting up, or formatting your time so you can allow this really focused space to arrive.

– Gemma O'Brien 

There has been little research into flow state from the subjective experience of artists. The two worlds Gemma inhabits – as an artist as well as a commercial illustrator working to briefs – gives her a unique vantage point. Incorporating a theoretical component enables her to think about her practice in more depth, but also ask the question – how can flow enhance the commercial process and what can we glean from this research for the future? Further more, is there anything about the way a creative brain functions that could help in other fields? 

In this talk, Gemma deftly talks us through how she got to this point – via the evolution of her artistic practice over the last 10-15 years, the existing research in the field, as well as the results of interviewing other artists from the Grand Matter roster for their own take and experience with it. 

Being a commercial illustrator is this perfect merging of art and business, and it's one of the skills nowadays to bring these things together. You could actually experience flow state through setting up routine and discipline to then allow the more free subconscious to take over.

– Gemma O'Brien 

Gemma's research is currently in progress, but on her journey towards answering the bigger questions, she offers up a number of insights that apply to artists and creatives – from optimum conditions for creating and time management to the role of various types of feedback and collaboration. All of this playing a part in finding a state of flow and elevating the commercial creative process.     

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