In the opening of my book A Perfect Fish, in the acknowledgements I note that, "We fishermen have not often looked to the world of of creative expression for the wisdom it offers; science is the path most often chosen. There are other paths to search and perhaps they can provide new insights and possibilities in our exploration of the natural world." Then I go on to mention several impressionist painters, namly Monet, Turner, Manet and Surat all acknowledged masters of the form. Just looking at one of their paintings up close can give great insight into the use of color and form. It has done this for me. I also state at the end of the third chapter, What is Fly Tying? "At it's highest level, fly tying could be viewed as a painterly and sculptural expression of mans reaching out to touch and feel the intangible and make it visable and purposful, along with simply viewing the beauty it brings to one's eyes and enjoying this as one does a painting of a sunset. It is not science although it can be dissected and studied and analyzed and catagorized. It is not Religion although it does have orthodoxy, devotees, saints and heretics. It is not Philosophy although it has first causes, perception, illusion and truth. What is fly tying? It is nothing more or less than human self expression in relation to a fish and the better you get at expressing yourself, the more fish you can possibly catch. Simplicity itself. All men are equal before fish." I have seen a surge in creative expression in fly tying in the past few years. More and more people are tying flies and are exploring and breaking out of the trances of how a fly has to be tied to be acceptable to a fish. Fly tying in Salt water is setting itself free from the bindings of the recent past and is re-newing and strengthening it's roots in creative expression and is rediscovering the rich grass roots heritage it once enjoyed before the "fast food one fly fits all' celebrity fly fads took over the media. This is a good thing and I hope that it continues and grows and expands until there is great diversity of expression coming from every fly tyers vise. Freedom of expression is the essence of any art and fly tying is an art. Don't buy into the fly tying version of paint by number 'masterpieces of fly tying' that effectively keeps creativity suppressed as you try to stay inside the predetermined lines with predetermined materials. As I say in my last book, Flies are expressions of ideas, they are manifestations of someone's insights or fancies or studies in duplication. They are allowed to come into existance best by the one who has the idea and wishes to express it. No one can interpret as correctly as the originator. Some tiers tie more beautifuly than others but does not diminish the value of an original idea expressed by a tyer of lesser skill. The fly tied by a child will catch fish as will the fly tied by a true creative and expert tyer. To not tie because of a lack of expertise is self-defeating and has no potential for growth. It is a dead ended path. Every tyer, no matter how sophisticated they may be now, had to start by tying their first fly. The second fly someone ties is always a dramatic improvment over the first and the third fly is often fly tying at it's best.
Tie outside the lines and make your own colors and form."
Our culture encourages us to stay inside the lines, pay our money and get accreditation and/or certification as a qualified practitioner of anything we want to do. Self-expression in creativity requires something else, the ability to disregard the lines and form your own boundaries and erase them if it suits your purpose at will with no explaination required. The fish are the only audience that will tell you if you are on track. Tie for them. Learn from everyone, but remain free to interpret what you learn in your own way to express your own ideas at your own vise. No one can express your ideas as well as you.
|
|