On Contradiction
Contradiction is one of the most valuable sources of inspiration and creative proliferation. 
Contradiction encompasses opposites, oppositions, paradoxes and polarities. It can be as simple as this image I took of the old Christchurch Women’s Hospital with all its beds outside in the garden. It can be an opposition of beliefs, an uncanny image, a juxtaposition of things that are usually kept separate, like a mixing of gender, or an adult concept strangely inserted into a children’s story or picture.
The exciting thing about a close look at what seems like an opposition or contradiction is that often we find that the two elements aren’t actually opposed at all, or that they have a relationship like yin and yang, each containing the seed of the other. Or perhaps we realise that these two elements aren’t locked in an eternal struggle with one another, or even a productive, electrifying dialectic, but are actually just two of many, many options, perspectives or elements to be found in a certain situation.
When we allow ourselves to acknowledge that the world is not neatly packaged into clear, black and white, digestible chunks, but is full of surprise, turnabouts, the unexpected, then our art becomes richer and less didactic. Likewise, allowing our lives to take unexpected turns often leads to a greater breadth of experience and delight in life.
So whenever you feel stuck, with your work or any situation in your life, reach for the nearest contradiction or opposition and see where it leads you.
