peony, copyright Teresa Mallen
I have started publishing my newsletter again! This week’s feature article, from my newsletter, is being reprinted here. It is about stifling creativity.
Could you be guilty of such a thing? I have come up with a list
of 5 ways I have found artists get in their own way.
I see these patterns
of behaviour time and time again with my students. People start out having the
best of intentions but once the workshops and courses are over it can be easy
to fall back into old habits.
Here is my list of several ways artists can get in their
own way and negatively impact their efforts to make art. Check it out and see
if you might need to remedy how you ‘show up’ for your art.
5 Ways Artists Stifle Their Creativity
1) You feel the urge to work on your art but then your mind
starts churning. You find yourself thinking about the end results - before you
have even picked up a pencil or a brush or attempted a sketch. Conversations in
your head start to sound like this: “What if this isn’t good enough?” “I know
it will be ugly.” “I bet I am going to
mess this up.” When you are worrying about whether or not your art is going to
be any good, you are definitely going to find it hard to let go and be
creative.
2) You worry about what people will think. What will your
kids think, your mother, or the person sitting next to you in art class (you
know, the person you are absolutely certain is very talented)? Instead of
making art for the pleasure of the experience and/or for the opportunity to
improve your skills you now get lost in a nasty head game, focusing on what the
viewer’s opinion will be.
3) Checking your email (and all other social media) instead
of heading to your art supplies. We all know we can get lost in the needs of
others or in the entertainment on our devices, but letting the agendas of other
people rule our time is a great way to kill our productivity and a great way to
numb our creativity impulses.
4) Striving for perfection in a piece can stifle creativity.
Author Michael Crichton said “Books are not written, they are re-written.” The
truth is we have all re-worked a sketch (sometimes more than once J) and we have all gone back later and fixed something in a piece, a work
we thought was doomed. Be patient and open to doing some tweaking later.
5) Waiting for your Muse to show up. This one is something I
hear often from students and other artists who declare that they are stuck. It
seems people are waiting for everything to ‘feel’ right, waiting for the
perfect dose of inspiration. I predict you will be waiting more than creating.
Allow me to remind you, (because deep down you know this)
that you do not need to wait until you have the perfect dose of inspiration.
You do not need to know with 100% certainty that your idea is going to make a
great painting, and you simply don’t need to be considering the opinion of
others. Allow imperfections and plan on re-tweaking if necessary. Make time for art, turn off those pesky
devices.
Try this - make a
commitment to do some imperfect art this week – anything
from a quick sketch while waiting for your kids to finish their piano lesson to
grabbing the camera to take some reference photos for future projects. Whatever
works for you, just go do it! Ignore the mind chatter (“Will this be any
good?”), banish the self doubt and simply grab those art supplies and take
action. It will feel so good, I promise.
So have you let any
stifling behaviours and thoughts creep into your creative experience? Did you
have any ouch moments? If you did, or if you wish to share other ways you know
you stifle your creativity, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!
Also, if you are out
making some imperfect art this week, celebrate by letting us know how it
goes...
