Something New, Something Now
- Miriam
- Jul 1, 2016
- 3 min read
This month I am sharing with you something new I started that is helping me in my creative journey and I hope that as I share, it will impact your creative journey too!
It all started in the winter, really. I was completing about one painting a month if I was lucky, and some of them I hated the outcome. I felt discouraged, unproductive, untalented, and had no motivation or inspiration.
Then I started reading some books about art and one in particular, titled Daily Painting (by Carol Marine), made me realize I wasn't alone in feeling all those things! Artist's block happens to every artist, and there are plenty of ways to get past it. The book mentioned the following that I found extremely helpful:
Short Term block-
-out of inspiration
-conflicted with which style to pursue
-frustrated by our paintings not reflecting what intend for them
temporary burn-out from a stressful event
-distracted by major life event
What to do-
-take a workshop (pick a painter you admire)
-tackle new subject matter
-try another medium
-change your environment or perspective
-explore an alternate creative outlet
Existential, Big-Picture Block-
-"This is no longer working for me."
What to do-
-eliminate anything that makes outcome more important than process (such as ego, self-imposed expectations, commitment to an external party, financial dependance, time parameters, etc)!
The hardest part for me was the last notion that I need to eliminate anything that makes outcome more important than process!
So I did something - I FINALLY did something - I followed the book's advice! The very reason the book was written was to express Carol's, and many other painters', challenge of doing one small painting a day, hence the name of the book Daily Painting! And I decided to join in on the challenge. This way, I can sit down with no time parameters and just play around on my canvas and still finish it in a few hours. This way I accomplish something; I feel productive AND having enjoyed the process at the same time! I admit I'm not managing a painting every single day, but I paint when I'm inspired and it happens much more often now! I've felt free to express myself and not worry about "wasting a canvas" or "using too much paint", which are things I was actually worrying about before!
At first I wanted my daily paintings to look like Carol's daily paintings - loose and quick but full of form and colour - but I realized that for me, my process was different than hers, and therefore the outcome was different too. For me, drawing my subject out on the canvas first is all part of MY process that I was trying to leave out. I love drawing, and being able to incorporate drawing with painting really helps release my creative spirit! The outcome is much more refined paintings, not loose or quick-looking, but they are mine nonetheless, and not everybody is attracted to the same kind of paintings! (It would be a dull world if everyone had the same likes and dislikes.)
The kind of worship I talked about in my last post - really feeling God's presence and consciously giving back to Him the talents He gave me - is what I experience through my daily painting.
I've learned to step back often, taking in another perspective of my art, and this daily painting has been a way of 'stepping back' and looking at my artistic career with a different perspective.
I've also learned that if I don't like the way my painting is coming along, it's better to wipe it off and start again instead of trying to fix it. And in a way, I'm also starting new when it comes to my attitude toward my art - instead of getting frustrated if something didn't turn out right, I shake it off and remind myself that not every one will be a masterpiece.
I'm starting new, and I'm starting NOW.
I would say that every artist should join me in this conquest, and even if you don't paint, expressing yourself creatively in any way will free you from your own expectations! Give it a try and see for yourself - and please comment below or even message me with pictures because I'd love to see your journey too!
You can follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/miriamdeckartist/) to see my journey of daily painting. I try to post every time I finish a painting!
And as Sigmund Freud once said, "When inspiration does not come to me, I go half way to meet it."
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