Creativity from without is a theme that describes the inspiration of a design that stems from the outside environment. This includes materials, nature, or society as a whole. An artist who demonstrates using creativity from without is Joe Pogan. Pogan takes metal spoons, dog tags, tools, combination locks, screws, anything made from metal and welds extraordinary pieces. His expertise is in making birds but he also makes special order animals like fish.
The things that Pogan makes are very well done with pristine details and reflect the true animal he is depicting. His birds look like they have just landed from a short flight and will take off again any second. The life-like feathers and eyes give Pogan's art attention because he can realistically show an animal and it's natural form. Not only does Pogan compose his sculptures to make them look believable and real, he also has the skill of an experienced welder to make his sculptures. Ndigallery describes that Pogan's "welding ability combined with an innate artistic talent gave him the skill to create his highly original animal sculptures using a variety of 'found' objects."
What Pogan creates and what he creates with is a paradox that speaks loudly to what I think his message is. The materials he uses are man-made items that are easily found and often discarded. We as humans make so much waste with the lifestyle we live and we are blinded by our daily tasks to see the things we throw away. It takes someone like Pogan to step back from everyday motions and see the products that humans make and abandon too frequently. Sure, not all of us have the talent of metal welding, but we could learn from what Pogan creates to think about our natural world butting heads with the world of small and insignificant products. If there was any way to bring the two together, Pogan has done it.
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