Keeping Inspired

Surviving the ups and downs of a creative life

Horsescape by Cheryl O Art (Wet finger artist - no AI)

It’s a new year and you have stellar intentions for your creative work. Here are a few suggestions to make the journey more gentle for yourself.

First, it’s good to recognize that enthusiasm will always have highs and lows for the creative soul.

To become excellent at any creative work requires lots of “alone” hours and some self discipline to jump in and do it, especially when getting started or after a time away.

The key point to highlight is: what you expect of yourself can make the journey harder or easier.

We want enough familiarity with our tools that the paint flows easily from the brush or the words from our fingertips. Do not expect to be a Tolstoy or Michelangelo quickly. It’s also important to know that excellence is not required to experience the joy of creativity. It’s joy we are looking for, not cathedral ceilings and joy that will keep you coming back.

There will be moments of frustration. Anything worth learning needs to have some challenge or it’s not much fun to conquer.

If you are feeling discouraged, I recommend adjusting your expectations.

Here’s another key point - you want to become a better artist than you were last year. Comparing only with yourself is a healthy type of comparison and will encourage you to persevere.

Another stellar effect of being creative is, it allows you to leave the world behind. It is physically impossible to worry while immersed in creativity - the gray matter just blocks worry when you are in creative mode.

I recommend regularly leaving the current woes of the world behind for awhile. Creativity is a happy and healthy escape from sorrows, available to everyone.

For painters, here is another tip to help avoid frustration. Invest in decent materials. Cheap paper or canvas and cheap craft paint will not give the kind of results that make you want to continue. Get 3 or 4 basic colours; red, blue, and yellow (okay - plus a burnt sienna) from an artist quality brand to give painting a real chance. It just might be a match made in heaven.

For writers, take your favourite authors and see what colourful expressions they use that you might also change up and make your own. The horizon of possibilities is vast. Take time to be playful with words, no article in mind. If a spark happens, you can integrate that into your next writing.

Also worth knowing - sometimes life gets in the way of art.

Whether or not you are currently painting or writing, there are certain creative activities right at your fingertips. I refer to your phone.

We are so blessed to have good quality cameras nearly always at hand. Our phones have come a long way in the past few years toward taking excellent photos. Today’s suggestion is, painters, have fun with photos from your phone.

For example, zoom in and see how small an area you might be able to frame that captures your interest. These can make for fun quick studies in paint.

Writers can take advantage of notes on the phone to catch those fleeting ideas that may inspire a great article. You can even take notes by voice. I cannot count the times a great idea flew in one ear and out the other. Catch them when you can!

And those notes and photos? They will wait for just the right time for you to be inspired by them. I know you love your art; that time will come.

I hope there is some inspiration for you here to keep you coming back to your creative calling.

Yours for a kinder and more creative world,

Cheryl O Art