Definition: "Edit"

edit (verb):

to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, etc.)

to collect, prepare, and arrange

to add (usually followed by in)

to omit; eliminate, expunge, delete

to revise or correct

If you think about it we are always editing, in big and small ways. We edit our wardrobe, when we purchase a new item of clothing, or get rid of one we haven’t worn in years. In preparing dinner, we make decisions based on our favorite flavors, leaving out a spice we don’t particularly care for, or adding a little extra of one we like. And we’re forced to edit when we find that we need to substitute or do without that ingredient we were counting on, because it’s not in the pantry after all. Editing even happens when we add a friend to Facebook, “unfriend” that “ex”, or update the page in any way. These are everyday activities that we may not even consciously consider the act of “editing”, but in their execution, you might say we are “supervising or directing” our lives.

As a device in the creativity toolbox, the act of editing becomes one of conscious decision making. Being creative includes “adding” and “eliminating” in equal measure.

From the moment an artist picks up a pencil or brush, they are assessing their subject in preparation of making the first mark; "collecting" information. They are making all kinds of choices: which details to include and which ones to ignore, placement on the page, technique, and more... all personal choices. This explains the wide variety of finished work in a room filled with canvases depicting the same still life. The individuality of each artist emerges in their work. We are literally seeing that still life through the eyes of each person interpreting it. So cool!

Note: The definitions above were provided by Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary and the iPad Dictionary App 

PS- In 2012, I created an alphabet using an iPad drawing app. The word above was formed by arranging some of those letters... edited to create "edit".