Bloom into Creativity

July 2024

"When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment it grows in, not the flower" ~ADH

July's Theme for The Artist's Journey - Imagine, Learn, and Create members!

Have you ever considered what feeds you as an artist? What provides nourishment to your creativity and inspiration? What drains you of it?

As human beings we tend to thrive under the right conditions and wilt away within the wrong ones. Most of the time both good and harsh conditions exist together so what can we do to further embrace the good while ridding ourselves or at least, minimizing the bad?

I believe, in large part, the key to growing in our creativity is permission to be who we are and do what we enjoy.

We have to allow ourselves to open up to the idea that beyond the foundational understandings of the elements of art like values, composition, proportions and color theory there are no real "right" answers. There are, however, opinions... Lots and lots of opinions and you know the saying right ;) 

For myself, along my own Artist's Journey and many (actually all) of the students I have mentored, we tend to stifle ourselves and our creativity greatly by showing up to the canvas trying to always get it to that "right" place instead of giving ourselves permission to explore, to play, and to put ourselves on that linen unapologetically. In the back of the mind is that nagging, persistent, and debilitating question...."But is it right??"

Perhaps better questions we should be asking ourselves is, is it authentic? Did I enjoy creating it? Did I feel free? Does it express what I want to say? Or did I show up to that canvas like a nervous nelly afraid to make a move? 

So, how do we change to nourish our creativity and feel freer to create?

The biggest key to learning and growing in our creativity according to psychological research is

• Being openminded
• Opening up our environment,
• A focused practice of improving it as a learned skill
• Going with ideas no matter how wild they seem
• Revisiting creative ideas we've had in the past.  

You can read the full article here.

Writing Prompt

Understanding what feeds, and what drains us is one of the best ways to build a great environment for us to bloom and thrive in! This is the place where learning and creativity pay us huge dividends because we remove all the distractions of negative and give our minds the room we need to focus on what matters.

Without over thinking about it and keeping in mind there are no right or wrong answers here, list all the conditions that assist in your energy, your ability to feel creative, your happiness, and your confidence. These may be things like an organized studio, being curious instead of aiming at an outcome, listening to your favorite soundtrack or even getting enough sleep at night.

Now, let’s list all the things that drain our energy and make us feel self-doubt. These may include things like comparing our work to others, a never-ending to do list, listening to influencers tell us all the "right" ways, or even overwhelm with lack of organization.

Knowing what is creating a positive or negative environment for us gives us the control of where to put our focus and where to cut things that are harming our soul. 

Color Palette of the Month

"Lavender is an elegant color that doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. Though it bears a resemblance to both light shades of purple and dark pink tones, lavender is exceptionally unique. It effortlessly blends warm and cool elements to create a stunning hue that turns heads."

Lavendar is a perfect color to remind us that even though we may doubt, and we may not receive props from others, we may still be incredibly special as the unique individuals we are.

What can you create in Lavender to celebrate your uniqueness? Here are my favorite Lavender Art Supplies! 

Sketchbook Challenge

Why use a sketchbook? What are they for and not for?

• Sketchbooks are a wonderful way to explore and find yourself as an artist because they remove a ton of pressure, and they keep things affordable. 
• They allow you to play, experiment, and record your own decisions of what is right for you without the weight of "ruining" a canvas or needing a lot of room for storage.
• They are not a place where your work needs to always be pretty or precious. 
• They do not need to be shared publicly, and they most certainty need no judgment.  

Truthfully, I have never been able to maintain a consistent sketchbook practice until recently because I did not see the benefit. I found them too small to practice how I wanted to and let myself be free like I can on a giant canvas with big, bold brushstrokes. 

But, as I have learned to embrace where I am in my own artist's journey (as I hope you will), I know I still have a lot to learn! I still face fear when I approach the canvas. I still get paralyzed sometimes when I get to a good place, but it's not finished for fear of "ruining" the piece. And I know in my heart I still have more to say in my art that I haven't yet tapped into. 

Embracing a sketchbook and creating some small levels of discipline, even just 10 minutes a day, to allow myself freedom of making mistakes, exploring for curiosity's sake, and recording my own thoughts has given me a great amount of insight as a person and as an artist. My sketchbook has become a deeply personal place. One I can go back to, to remember my own favorite marks and colors, where I can see where the "me" came out most, and even to give myself some grace when my skill isn't as good as I'd like it to be. 

If you are joining me in this endeavor, I hope you know we're walking this path together to create a space where we learn about ourselves as artists, a place where we can grow safely, and understand who we are as unique individuals, removing any need for a mask to present ourselves well to others, and tapping into the real us. 

 Sketchbook Challenge 1 

Sketch and/paint your favorite flower. Really zoom in on how each petal and element of the bloom is an important part of the way it impacts us as a whole.  Why do you love this flower? What does it symbolize? What does it mean to you? Jot down notes in your sketchbook next to your drawing.

Sketchbook Challenge 2

Place yourself or an image symbolizing you in a garden surrounded by flowers and falling petals. For symbolic meaning, list within the falling petals all the things that are wilting you within your environment that you wish to let go.

Need a Sketchbook? Here's one I recommend. It will hold up to wet media and if you're painting, that is exactly what you need! 

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