Lot’s of the artists I admire have one thing in common: they all have their own unique style. Think about that, every artist that you look up to has very little resemblance to any other artist in their space, but yet I’m trying to be more like Warhol or Bowie or something.
Making Art Is Over Rated
When I do my best work, I’m not telling myself, I’m going to make art today. I’m letting myself succumb to the emotions I’m undergoing at that moment. My emotional state at any given moment translates through the art I’m making. So I’m not consciously telling myself to go make art, I’m allowing my emotions to be constructed into whatever medium I choose. So don’t make art, be aware of your emotional state and translate it. Don’t let that confuse you, I’m not saying don’t make art, I’m saying, make art that means something to you, not to who ever your potential audience is.
The Difference Between Potential and Perfection
When I have a new idea in my head I envision it being flawless, and my expectation is set so high that when I start on that project I’m struggling with what I can physically create compared to what I’m mentally picturing. This expectation is the killer of creativity, I’ll stop myself right in my tracks after undoing one line I drew 3 times.
Through years of dealing with these high expectations I’ve become so aware of the mental torture it causes that I just started drawing in whatever style comes naturally out of my untrained hand. The act of letting go is a spiritual practice, and before I start boring you with some spiritual reading I want to say that many of our expectations are built in the version of you that presents itself to others, or the ego. Once you can realize you have no control over how others view you, the creative mind opens up like a flower in spring.
Your potential is not measurable, and perfection though it seems possible is never achieved. The sooner you can accept this, the more you will allow your creativity to run through you like the blood in your veins.
Overcoming Criticism
I will always be talking about overcoming criticism as an exercise to overcome it myself. Writing these blogs actually help me more than you think. I’m telling myself, “This is a practice of becoming more honest with myself and more open with others.”
You won’t be able to turn off the fear of showing your own art to someone, but you can learn to dance with it. I love this term coined by Seth Godin, the marketing guru.
The idea is that the fear your feeling comes from part of your brain that is there to save us from being injured or killed in the wild by maybe a bear or a mammoth or something, but in this modern age where fear presents itself before public speaking or in this case sharing your art with a group or a friend, there’s no life threatening risks. Your brain might be making you feel like there are, but you’re misinterpreting what it’s trying to tell you. It’s saying, you’re uncertain of what’s about to happen because it might make you uncomfortable.
Fear of Being Uncomfortable
You’re debilitating fear of being uncomfortable is controlling your progression. We all have dreams of becoming successful at what we love to do, and only some of us will make it according to how willing we are to be uncomfortable. Your progression really relies on listening to your brain when it feels scared and having the ability to tell it,
“Thanks for the alarm I will do exactly what you’re trying to prevent me from doing.”
I hope that after reading this you got some insight on how to be more creative. It’s not so hard but it’s a practice that I wish I started when I first began creating art. I still struggle with my creativity and you will too. This is just a reminder to you that everyone deals with the trouble of accessing their true style, techniques or voice. The great harbinger of art is listening to your fears and understanding how it corresponds with your ego. Until you find a good relationship with yourself and truly love your mistakes, you will be blocking the emotion needed to progress as a unique artist.
