Fill In the Negative Space
“Negative space”
Whether you’re familiar with the term “negative space,” or you vaguely remember hearing it in middle school art class, it’s something I’ve found myself thinking a lot about lately.
First, a quick refresher. Negative space, is simple terms, is the space between. The space around. The margins of a page, for example. The small spaces between words, the breaks sandwiching this paragraph.
Negative space in the art world was famously explored in the “vase or faces” optical illusion I’ve included here in this story.
Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin first developed this now-common optical illusion as an example of the visual figure-ground relationship, how the human brain analyzes and processes information.
Some people may first see the vase at the center, with the negative space behind and around it. Others may first see the two faces in profile on either side, with the negative space in the center as the background.
Either way you perceive the image, one of them is the figure, while the other is the background. There is no incorrect way to perceive the image, and the ability to distinguish a figure from a background is an essential skill in human visual perception development.
I’ve been thinking a lot about negative space lately, how its oft-overlooked, underappreciated and taken for granted.
It’s easy to understand why that is, of course. Everything that we love, everything that we’re passionate about, it’s usually happening in the foregrounds of our lives, not the background. It’s what we focus on, it’s what drives us. (Or it’s who drives us.)
The negative space in our lives is the background behind us in our portraits, the white backdrop of the canvas of our artistic medium of choice that invites us to fill it with our passions any way we see fit.
For those of us like my partner and me, who live a city that usually doesn’t sleep, the jarring silence you hear when you open the window is an unsettling bit of audio negative space that we’re still adjusting to.
Many of us have a lot more negative space in our lives these days.
Having downtime, in the negative space between the significant moments in our respective lives, can be a luxury. Many of the first responders and essential workers in this pandemic are bravely putting themselves and their loved ones at risk for the good of humanity.
I’m sure they would love a little more negative space in their lives right now. Space to breathe, to gather themselves, any quiet moment at all in between what they’re experiencing in front of their eyes.
For many of us who are sheltering indoors, doing our collective part to alleviate the burden on those courageous people on the front lines, lately there’s been a lot more time available to us than what we’re accustomed to. There’s a lot more negative space than usual.
It can be unnerving at times. Maybe you’ve lost your job, or had your work hours cut. Maybe you’re working from home and don’t have a commute to and from your usual workplace. Whatever changes you’re adjusting to in the wake of COVID-19, we can all find productive ways to cope.
Consider this a challenge to those of us fortunate enough to have the extra negative space in our lives.
Tap into your creative side. Yes, you.
Find something to explore that you’ve always wanted to get around to, but haven’t had the chance to explore.
In my personal experience, it’s been more time to write after several years of not picking up a pen, and I’ve found it refreshing.
I don’t fancy myself much of an artist. Maybe you don’t either, and that’s perfectly ok. You might find yourself sitting there, reading this, finding yourself surrounded by negative space, wondering what you can do to keep yourself from being bored, and that’s ok, too. You don’t have to feel guilty about being bored or feeling uncreative.
Try to appreciate the many opportunities awaiting you inside the blank canvas that is the negative space.
All of us have unique life experiences that shape who we are. Maybe you used to doodle in your notebook when you were a kid, but you don’t think of yourself as someone who draws. Pick up a pen, grab a blank canvas and see what pours out into the negative space.
Maybe you love taking photos but you don’t think of yourself as a photographer. You won’t know what your potential is if you don’t pick up the camera. Maybe you’ll never be a master photographer, but you don’t have to be. If it makes you happy, take some photos.
Embrace the creativity, the artist within yourself. Do it because it feels good.
Write. Draw. Paint. Photograph. Sing. Dance. Film or document something that interests you. Do a deep dive and research things you’re interested in if you find that to be creatively stimulating. Look within yourself, find the artistic and creative side, and find a way to let it loose.
Share your gifts. Or don’t share your gifts. Do it for yourself and no one else if that’s what makes you happy.
Finish that passion project you’ve been putting aside.
Try something new you’ve always been curious about.
Maybe it’s learning how to cook. Maybe it’s a new workout regimen that’s working for you and you’d like to document it. Maybe it’s fixing things around the house, even. It doesn’t have to be traditional art.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Some of the greatest ever in their fields were considered “late bloomers” when they started.
Pick up an instrument you haven’t touched in years. Pick up an instrument that you’ve never touched before, period.
Keep yourself busy by focusing on things that make you happy.
Express yourself in whatever way it manifests.
Start a journal, or rediscover a journal you haven’t opened in a while. Crack it open and see what comes flooding back. Who knows? You could rediscover a time in your life that you haven’t thought about in a long time. It could inspire you to write about how far you’ve come.
Fill the negative space in your life with anything and everything your heart desires. You can do it. I’m doing it too.
Finally, in case the term is still a little unclear. Negative space isn’t necessarily about negativity, in the sense of something sad or bleak. It’s just the empty nothingness that awaits your art to fill it. But if it makes you feel better to express the sadness or anger or anxiety you feel inside, let it out. Rip off the bandages and express it, and see how you feel.
It’s ok to be scared. It’s ok to be sad, or angry, or fearful, or worried, or any combination of emotions. Nobody’s always happy, always at their best. We’re human. Notoriously flawed, imperfect beings.
Let the art take you. Let it inspire you. Let the negative space be the canvas on which you make your mark. Your mark, no one else’s. Fill the negative space in your life with whatever you’re passionate about.
You may not think of yourself as a naturally creative, artistic person. Believe in yourself. It’s in there somewhere. All of us are capable of looking within ourselves and finding something that we each find personally creatively stimulating, uniquely ours.
Channel it. Tap into it. Let it out. Create what you see when you close your eyes and dream out loud.
Turn the negative space into something beautiful. Share it, if it makes you happy to share it. Keep it to yourself if you’d rather not share it. It’s your art, your negative space to fill in. There are no wrong ways.
Your canvas is only limited by your imagination. Fill the negative space with some part of yourself. Be bold. Be creative. Have fun.
