Chapter 4: Use Your Hands

The topic this week is about the fourth chapter of Steal Like An Artist, and I think it is one of the most important yet. Austin Kleon talks about how it is important to not only create art with our heads, but our bodies to because "art that only comes from the head isn't any good." By getting the body in motion, it triggers the brain's thinking and gets the creative juices flowing. The main use of the computer should be for editing and publishing ideas after they have been established in a more hands on way.
I feel like stimulating other senses of the body can help produce higher quality work or ideas because you aren't just forcing your body to do what it is your head is focused on. By inviting your body to participate with the head during work, it puts more effort and quality into your work. Stimulating those senses while working makes your body more in-tuned to whats being worked on and it really puts your all into whatever it is your working on. The body was meant to be active, so this is a time to do so by doing something that your passionate about (hopefully this is your work).
"The computer brings out the uptight perfectionist in us-we start editing ideas before we have them," the Kleon states on page 58. This statement is exactly why the computer is not meant for generating ideas. Even though the computer has endless possibilities of what it can achieve, it does everything it does because of the operator. The computer can't do the work for you without you "telling" it to, which means it can't think for you. 
If I started out on the computer at the beginning of a project, I wouldn't know where to start. There are so many things that can be done with a computer, but without direction it is useless. By starting in my sketchbook, I usually sketch things that might be related to whatever it is I am working on at that time. That gets my brain working to where I can produce concepts that might be a solution to what I am working on at the time. There have only been a few rare times where I had a hard time sketching my ideas, so I had to get help from the computer. 
Page 60 is where the author suggests something to try at home, create a analog space and a digital space separate from each other. I went ahead and tried this at home. I already have a desk that has been in process of being set up as a creative area by holding my books/papers for me, but this exercise motivated me to clean it up and make it functional; I also already had the supplies laying around. 
Since I only have one desk, it was a bit challenging to try to create two separate workplaces. I decided my desk would be more appropriate for the analog space since it has plenty of space for all my tools.

I still have some clutter in my non-digital workspace, but it is was more functional than it was before. 

For my digital space, I didn't need much space since I the computer is my only electronic I use besides the printer/scanners at my school (which will change one day soon). 

I often work in different rooms of the house when working on my computer, so this lap-desk is perfect for my small digital space and doesn't chain me to a desk.