Feeling Aimless + Lost?
“There are some things that are just on repeat in life--like getting hungry, needing to move, wanting closeness + solitude. These things are not isolated experiences, but rather part of a bigger machine. So even though my impulse is always to resist and fight it, I'm trying to relax a little more each time I circle back around to this stage again.”
Managing Expectations
When I listen to other artists (as well as the one in my head), I realize that we all have a tendency to expect the opposite: we expect the overwhelming majority of our work to be what soars, when it's always been the other way around.
If we knew that this was absolutely true, and also that it's how an art practice should be, would we enjoy the process more? Would we appreciate the journey in a relaxed and satisfying way? Would our focus possibly shift a bit more toward what WE are becoming instead of what we're producing?
Creative Resistance
“For me, I have come to know resistance as an indicator that I am ready to grow. And then it's up to me to make sure that call gets answered and I go to work.“
The Cage of ‘Arriving’
I can't quite see where my art practice ends and my personal evolution begins. They overlap in so many areas that I have come to see it as my path; a path without destination or end, the way to more--more understanding, more self-compassion, more authenticity and work that reflects this process in a progressively satisfying way.
The Internal Artist Battle
Biology wired fear into our brains to keep us safe--it's part of the operating system. But if you just notice it and see it for what it is, you'll have discovered gold: because everything that's NOT that voice of discomfort, alarm, and judgement is You--the real you.
The Cage of Perfectionism
I really had to address this when I began seriously asking myself the deep questions about my creative practice. There's nothing wrong with external positive feedback, but if I can't go on my own artistic journey without it, and can't tolerate unattractive work, I’m pretty much like a plane without a runway to take off. I'm never going to be able to do what it takes to develop and hone my skills.
The Cage of Consistency
Following that creative impulse up, down, and all over the place has been what made developing and coming into my own style and voice possible. And now, I feel like I'm naturally more consistent because I allowed that ‘finding’ process to unfold and organically move to refinement.
What Are Your Cages?
I want to be a voice that says to you from the outside that there are many cages that threaten to keep our winged brilliance from finding the sky.
Self-Focus
If I wasn't willing to do it for myself now, when would I ever be willing? When will be the time that it will NOT feel selfish to focus on me primarily? In that moment, I saw the flaw in my thinking on this subject and I became willing.
Intention
Once I saw the flaw in this thinking, I was finally free to invest the time, money, supplies and love into the practice. I intentionally redefined my job as someone who learns and studies, and therefore is constantly in a state of growth. Now, I nurture my own development as a justified requirement of the job.
What Makes a Healthy Art Practice?
What makes a healthy art practice? Have you really thought of your time making art as a practice? And if so, can you describe the foundational attributes that keep your creativity thriving?