How to Collaborate with a Non-human Animals By Cara Moore (05/17/06 13:15:16)
Related animal: Human Define your goals-
The first step to collaborating with another species is to decide what it is you would liek to accomplish. Decide what species you would like to work with and decide how you would like to collaborate with this species. Researching the species is an important step to be able to better understand your collaborator. Learn about your collaborators likes and dislikes, sensory abilities, natural habitat, and behavior patterns for starters, but don't limit yourself to only these categories. You could also search for previous art projects done with your species. Research can help you decide the best way to collaborate with your species.
Be patient-
Non-human animals may not be eager to work with humans. Most animals in the wild have a natural instinct to fear humans. It may take a lot of time before the animal feels comfortable collaborating with you. If you choose to work with a wild animal, be prepared to spend a lot of time before you see any results. For this reason it may be easier to work with domesticated animals. Yet even domesticated animals might not be eager to work with you. All of these animals will probably be confused, and probably don't know what you want from them. Just be patient, results will not come overnight.
Be flexible-
Although a lot of time should be committed to attempting to collaborate with your species, you should also keep in mind that your intended goal may not succeed. You should examine your efforts and evaluate whether or not your goals are possible. It is important to be flexible in your desired results, your species may not be capable or willing to fulfill your goals. If this is the case, revise your goals; instead of thinking of what you want to do, take into consideration what your collaborator would enjoy doing. Don't get too stuck on one idea, if you are flexible and patient enough, you will find an artistic form that will work well for the both of you. [Write Comment]