The creative process...technical or intuitive...?

The first time I'd ever had the opportunity to put a 'real' paintbrush to a 'real' art canvas using 'real' acrylic paints...(didnt think they were invented when I was a kid but Da Vinci got to do it...must of went to the other school down the road from me!)
So there I was in 2010 in a uni class on my 453rd birthday armed with around an hour of procedural knowledge acquisition, having my first 'splash' with actual art equipment under the technical tutelage of Sue Davis and John Fitzwalter. This is what happened...

 

Well I could say that I knew the use of diagonal lines conveyed the impression of 'unease' because they were neither horizontal (which represents repose) nor vertical (which represents strength and righteous belief pointing to the heavens)...I could also say I knew the deep oranges shaded to deep reds surrounding the stark surreal facial features and colour denoted high emotion and turmoil...but I'd be lying!

What actually happened was, I'd had a tumultuous, emotionally unsettling experience in my earlier science class when I was wrongfully blamed and publicly accused of causing blue dye to be spilt on someones expensive white pants suit. I knew who the real 'perpetrator' was (and it was a genuine accident), and he knew I knew, but I reasoned it was only my need to rightfully defend the accusation by truthfully stating that it was not me, not to identify the actual source of the good lady's rancour and displeasure. As such, I decided to 'paint from the heart' and try to express my feelings on canvas...as 'therapy' if you like...

Then,,,after subsequent course readings about line and colour theory and in reflection, and after reviewing and analysing the actual outcome on the canvas, I realised that the work was not only an accurate portrayal of my actual state of mind in that particular 30 minutes, but that the emotions I was feeling and the way I had portrayed them, actually 'fitted' the information contained in the readings on colour theory and use of line in visual art! 

This experience has informed my developing opinion (that is still a work in progress) that creativity lies inert in all of us to some degree. It just takes opportunity and inspiration and encouragement by knowledgeable people if we're lucky, for humans to uncork the creative 'genie' (not to be confused with 'genius') that lies within our physiological 'bottle'.