Filling the tank

At a recent talk to art students about developing their creative practice, some students expressed that they doubted that they will be able to offer something different to the world. I suspect this is a question and wobbly we all have at some point … has all the art 'been done' before?

We can all be in awe of the creativity of others and, to me, that is a good thing as most artists or designers probably choose an art or design career in part due to being inspired by other artists/designers in the first place. One of my earliest art memories was my love of 'record album' covers and particularly any that had a touch of surrealism such as Dali's melting clocks.  I loved the way art could offer an alternative reality or a different perspective.

When what I call artist's self-doubt makes an appearance, it can be difficult to see how we can come up with new ideas or creative something unique. This can stilt our own creative development or at worst - stop us in our tracks.

Some thoughts ....

Creativity isn't something we possess or hold - it is quite the opposite. It is something we give space to so it can flow and manifest, it is as if we tune into it.  We have to keep faith that it will 'show up' just when we need it!  Years of being creative has taught me that even when I am at that part of every creative process when the creative river seems to have run dry and I am struggling - I remind myself to just ride the invisible wave and yes.....something positive ALWAYS happens and the flow is there. 

So, the creativity flows but what will make it unique?  As simplistic as it sounds, you being you will do that. How can your art be the same as anyone else's when all of us are made up of our own unique life experience?

Sticking with the water analogy, imagine you are a water tank  - the kind you have in a garden and the water in your tank has been collected directly from rain water.  That rain water is made up of experiences, thoughts, teachings, practices, responses and feelings you have had under your local skies.

When you open the tap at the bottom of the tank to let the water flow to feed the garden (and in this case garden = creative output), the water which comes out is directed and made up of molecules which are unique to you.  That exact water does not exist anywhere else so when it feeds your creative garden in whatever medium that may be, it has to be unique. 

Everything is Connected . . .

Maybe it is an artist's ‘job’ to seek out the connections and make them visible? I don’t know about you but my mind is constantly finding connections between seemingly unconnected events, feelings, things? It is almost like creativity is an invisible thread. I liken it to the age old practice of dropping corn down on your route/the path you take so that you can navigate your way back should you get lost. That is a great methodology as long as the corn doesn’t get eaten! And if the corn does get eaten? Thats when creativity and intuition comes into its own - to find new routes or be happy not to go back to the same place!

Positive Habits of Creative Practice!

I have challenged myself to come up with the 7 most important habits of my practice, the ones that keep the creativity flowing!   What would you put in your list?

Here are my top 7:

1. My studio space is hallowed ground! It is the place where creativity is nurtured and fed, it has to feel like 'home'.

2. Creative time is sacrosanct! It is all too easy for things to interrupt the creative flow, so creative time is immersive time, it is special time.

3. Spreadsheets are saviours! Artists make connections and when the creative ideas flow and link, it can be mind boggling so being able to put 'ducks in a row' in a spreadsheet or table gets it all out of my head and enables me to look at it all in a more structured way!

4. Mindlessness is Magnificent! Being able to relinquish analytical thoughts, the 'inner critic', and be playful is a hugely influential and important part of the process.

5. Serendipity is my friend! Being playful without a desired outcome means that any 'happy accidents' aren't accidents, they are just 'what is'! And 'what is' is sometimes the most unexpected and creative output.

6. Research is Riveting! The partner to being playful for me is research - not usually carried out at the same time though! Who knew I would ever enjoy research so much! To me it is like being an explorer discovering distant lands, uncovering facts which change my whole way of thinking, offering new ideas and perspectives, very exciting.

7. The Body is a Temple! Looking after my body and optimising health paves the way for energy to ‘spend’ on creativity. Being aware enough to know what the body needs and what it doesn’t need is probably as simple as good sleep, the right exercise, spending time in sunlight and a healthy diet. Easy to say but not necessarily easy to execute!

Maintaining Creativity

A question I am asked time and time again is ‘what I do when I get artist's block’?  Luckily, I no longer seem to suffer from artist's block but I did in the early days of my practice and remember that paralysing feeling of not knowing where to start.  I love how we all develop our creative practice in different ways, below are some of the rules I live by to keep creativity flowing. A recent talk to art students encouraged me to put pen to paper :

Knowing that 'The inner critic' may sometimes shout loud but it can be silenced! 

Most of us have experienced 'the inner critic', that judgemental inner voice that points out that the drawing is all out of proportion or there is no point in making art as it won't be good enough!  It manifests itself in us beating ourselves up about our creative output and then we can't think where to start a piece because we dismiss every idea so we then sit there in the artistic environment we have set up for ourselves with all the equipment we think we need and what do we do? Nothing!  It is like the inner critic has paralysed us.  Spending energy on 'arguing' with the critic is energy wasted as it it energy which could be going into creative outcomes instead so the trick is to acknowledge the critic has a point of view but 'say no thank you' as it is not a point of view you wish to subscribe to today! 

Dismantling the Displacement Activity Generator!

The time I carve out to be in the place in which I am most creative is sacrosanct! Creativity is top dog!  I work hard at not getting involved in what I call 'the displacement activity generator' because it breeds itself! Displacement activities come in all shapes and sizes e.g.  'just' googling a supplier of paints or responding to an email we have suddenly decided is important, one leads to another and to another and the next thing you know....'creative time' is up for the day! The minute I recognise a displacement activity going on - I deploy a counter displacement activity!  What works or will work for you? it could be as simple as writing down why you became an artist/creative in the first place and what it is you are passionate about even if you have done this exercise before, sometimes forcing yourself to do  it again and again forces the revelation of new insights.

Dance the Doodle Dance!

And now the most important (and perhaps the most challenging) bit and if you would like to give it a go……

First, find a surface to make your marks on - go big or go small, paper on the floor or paper on the wall! Then pick up your tool of choice....a pen, a brush, and in my case some flour....it doesn't matter as long as you let it lead you as if you are dancing with it , thinking about what you are doing will kill the rhythm and the dance, just doing the doodle dance is the trick.  Because if it is only a doodle, it is nothing but playing therefore it is isn't important how it turns out!  This permission to play and relinquish desired results is key, it produces unexpected outcomes which feed the fire of creativity and silence the inner critic!

If in doubt, just do!   And finally, if paralysis kicks in at any stage of the above....stop thinking and just do.