In past articles, I covered some emotional states and how they can serve us, each with its unique characteristics, in artmaking. Some of those are uncomfortable to be in, so using them for art seems like a good transmutation. This time, though, I'm going to take a good emotional state and see how it can inspire us. Might be obvious, but let's see…

Euphoria
/juːˈfɔːrɪə/

noun
a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.

You may be thinking that there's not much to it. Feeling like that, for whatever reason, making art would come easily. But it might not be as easy, depending on what caused the state of euphoria. If it's art related, if -say- you are on a good art streak, then yes, I don't think there's much to tell here. You keep on going for as long as you can.

But sometimes your elation might have absolutely nothing to do with art, so how do you translate whatever experience gave you this feeling to art? Yeah, yeah, you might want to recreate it, somehow. But depending on what kind of art and/or style you make, there might not be a direct way.

A good method to make this work is to think more in terms of art principles or elements. Was your experience curvy or streamlined? What colors relate to it? Was it pink, red, yellow or purple? If it had flavor, what would it taste like? Did it sound ethereal and airy or profound and substantial? If it had texture, would it be satin or velvet? All these analogies will help you convey it in a different way than an exact replica.

Another possible complication is that this particular feeling doesn't usually last very long. You might find yourself in a dilemma: Are you going to invest part of its duration in art, or do you want to keep on experiencing its wake pure and raw? Can you even concentrate right now?

I hope you at least give it a go. These experiences don't come very often for most of us. So using a little bit of what's left of it to experiment what comes of it could be interesting. You might even be able to immortalize it, reliving it a little bit whenever you look at your creation, just like a scent takes you back to a past scene of your life. 

Barbara Din is a visual artist, graphic designer, painter, interior designer, crafter, musician and writer living in Argentina. Learn more about Barbara and her work at the following links:
BarbaraDin.com
Barbara Din YouTube Channel
Barbara Din Instagram