Creative Resourcefulness with King Prolifik
Resourcefulness is not only a skill, but it is a mindset that encourages breaking through boundaries and exploring various mediums within your artistic expression.
Being resourceful grants you abundant favor and charm from the universe. Implementing creative ways to work around setbacks can bring positive changes in your life, and enhance your creative process.
Visual artist King Prolifik epitomizes the convergence of creativity and resourcefulness and is known for his explosive approach to the meticulous details of his bold expressions.
He shared solid advice on how to keep your creative process fresh.
Research and practice your creativity.
Q: How Important is research to your process, and how much do you practice before performances?
A: “Research is key! Creatives are those who were able to hold on to the high-spirited demeanor at which we function as children. Now that we are adults we have access to be able to create the things we imagine. Being an artist is the preservation of that very thing. Research is the adult version of us stepping in and making that happen. Let’s write these things down, make a list of everything that we need to make it then come up with a feasible plan to make it happen. Research is the least highlighted.”
“The blueprint phase is the most important to me. I have at least 500 tabs open in my web browser right now. I spend more time there so that when it comes to allocating resources, I’m not running around like a chicken with its head cut off, just buying the wrong stuff, I learned that some years ago. when I first began incorporating fire into my performances, it was hard to budget. My mind was going crazy with wanting to bring this concept to life, didn’t know what I had to buy and bought anything. Now that I’m older I can tame my wild thoughts by sitting down, writing things out, planning in my head, and not making impulsive purchases. It’s safer for me and my pockets.
“Knowing what season you’re in helps as well. It’s easy to get used to crewing so much that you get used to having so much information, and not transmuting it into something feasible. So a lot of people are in research but don’t know how to pivot out of that to say this is what I’ve learned. Let’s put this practice into practice. [leaving] It happens organically. I’d be triggered by something random and there’s a sign that resonates with me that pushes me out of that relaxed researched stage. The universe knows how to motivate you. When it’s a burning desire to create something, you’ll see it outside of yourself.”
Being self-aware while using social media in your creative practice.
Q: Has social media influenced the way you approach your creative process?
A: “Not as much as I thought it would. In hindsight, when I’m reflecting on previous years. It’s been very repetitive for me. its small windows when I’m introduced to different nuances in the creative world through social media. I’ll just mark it off as another presentation of a new resource that I can acquire and apply in my own way. But that’s been happening since I’ve had a relationship with social media. But recently, now that you have Tiktoks, you have these instances in which, especially creatives, are expected to give off the illusion that they’re creating all the time.
They can package up a whole month-long process in a minute video. So when you’re immersed into that culture it’s very exhausting because now you feel like you’re creating to fulfill this subconscious quota. You know, to let the world know you’re still existing. I had to kind of tear myself away from that. I’ve been reading a lot more than I’ve been indulging in social media because I’m at that point of burnout. Not just physically but mentally.
It’s overindulgence, I’m not gaining anything new from it, so I have to shift my attention to where I can gain something, and gain inspiration so that I can feel like I want to create for the genuine purposes that I started creating before. I think in a sense, it definitely motivated me to steer my path in a different direction that allows me more time and more freedom to create in the way I want to.”
“The only good part I took away from it motivated me to document these things I was doing. Before it was documented for the purpose of projecting it onto the public. Now it’s like, I don’t even care to post this or not. I wanted to document this for me, so I can have this stamp in time when I created this, why I created this so I can feel that again. It enables us to be put in that box where now this is all that the social media realm can expect from us. Because they’ve seen us create this a couple of times, they’re like alright, that’s all I want to see from you now. And now you’ve become a caricature of yourself.”
Exploring Different Mediums
Q: What made you say “I don’t want to drink this wine, I’d rather paint with it?”
A: “I was in a period of exploring new ways to do what I love. I love to paint, but I didn’t want to look like a typical, conventional painter. One day, I was drinking wine in my crib, and I started thinking about how to paint with wine.
I started experimenting with a blank canvas pouring wine on the canvas, seeing how the wine stains, and how I can amplify the intensity of the color. I tried adding red dye to the wine to accentuate the dye a bit more, and seeing what I could do to make it more crisp. I just added more elements to this level of performance I’ve cultivated, to make it come out the way I envisioned it in my head. I like to dream of things that seem impossible when you explain them, and then find different ways to make that happen.”
You can learn more about Prolifik’s art and upcoming performances on his website, and social accounts. tap in with him for more black excellence. website: https://bit.ly/49uhHin instagram: https://bit.ly/3SXVBPG
