Scratching, by Twyla Tharp

What is scratching according to Twyla Tharp (http://www.twylatharp.org/bio.shtml) and how does she suggest we do it?

"Scratching" is about the initial exploration needed in order to find an idea. She uses the word scratching to link this exploration with the image of scratching a lottery ticket. She suggest that we start off by scratching for small ideas, and then scratching for the connections between the small ideas. Some ways to scratch are: to improvise, to read, to converse, to look at other people's work, to think of your mentors and heroes, or to scratch amid nature.

Knowing how you work in the studio, what methods, techniques, or tricks can you see yourself using from Ms. Tharp's suggestions?

I can see myself reading, conversing, looking at other people's work, and definitely getting out in nature. A lot of my thoughts are supplemented by what I've read. I completely disagree with her points about reading the classiest, most admired works, though. I think that I often look for feedback, and that conversation about my ideas or work helps me to define it for myself. Looking at Hamlett's website with all the artists and studios was very exciting, and I would like to go back there for some extra inspiration. Finally, one of the things I know for sure about this term is that I am going to get outside some, and bring nature indoors some. I also have a whole stack of beautiful nature photos that are very inspiring in terms of colors and shapes, that my mom was going to recycle, but that I salvaged. : )

She's talking about dance. What would this behavior look like in the studio?

She also mentions painting occasionally, but she sounds kinda silly when she does. "... or a painter dashing off sketches right and left until one pleases the eye. That's what improvising is like for me" (100). OR, when she's talking about nature, she says, "A painter would study the bird's coloring" (103). She assumes that painters are only interested in what looks pretty, when in reality, a painter is probably just as interested in the bird's movement as she is. 

For a lot of studio artists, the improvisation stage would also include listening to music. One thing that I do agree with her about is that you have to actually be improvising physically in order to generate good ideas. If you are too contained in your head, you are restricting the impulses to jump, or paint, or whatever, that could become very good and creative ideas.