8 Tips for finding your inner artist.

I recently joined a group that is exploring artistic expression, creativity, and spirituality.  Heavy words for a visual artist like myself. My group is full of really interesting, energetic people.  I can’t wait to get to know them better.  I can’t wait to see what happens as the weeks roll by.

I want to offer up my best advice here and now before I really dig into this group and it warps me. I am hoping the group warps me, bends me, and my attitudes.  I am hoping for new ways of looking at old ideas.   I am hoping for progress and change. I am hoping to shed some cynicism I have about the label called “artist”.

Here is where I am tonight with my thoughts on what it takes to get started finding your inner artist.  Some of you won’t like these tips.  They are my very top tips learned from hard work and many failures on my part.  This is not a sugar-coated, feel good list of diddly poop to contrived to feed your artsy fartsy ego and keep you reading my blog.  I have finally grown out of that stage – I think.  (hee-hee)

8 tips for finding your inner artist:

1. Stop talking about being an artist.  Go make something. Every single human being is already an artist.  You are not special.  With practice, whatever you create just may indeed be special.

2.  Learn to be alone with yourself.

3.  Be Quiet.  It is hard to create when one is continually talking. I would explain in further detail but then I would continue to talk to you and that is counterproductive to the entire idea of step 3.       Be Quite.  Rinse and repeat.

4. Stop being cheap out and go buy a few of the tools you need to explore the mediums you are drawn to.  Later buy some more.  You can’t learn unless you have at least some of the necessary tools for your medium.  It is especially difficult to learn to play a guitar without actually having access to a guitar.  And don’t write to me about Playstation Guitar Hero or Wii -  you know what I’m talking about people !!

5.  Make a conscious effort to see your habitat in a new way. If you usually look up, start looking down at small things.  If you usually look down at small things, look up at Grand things.

6. I am sick of hearing you don’t have enough TIME.  Get real.  Every person on planet earth has exactly 24 hours in each day. If you consider yourself an adult, you should be able to manage your time by now.  Not having time to “make” and “do” things creative is a tired, worn out excuse that I am sick of hearing.  If you are busy, lower your expectations.  “Make” and “do” small creative works, jabbed here and there into your life in bits and pieces.  Save them to use later or combine them into larger works.

7. Keep a journal, notebook, sketchbook, voice recorder, digital camera, iphone, … WHATEVER to capture ideas.  Trust me, great ideas never come in a linear fashion during your predetermined “me” time.  Great ideas come in the middle of regular life and will soon be forgotten if you don’t capture them. Learn to hold ideas hostage for another time and place.

8. There are no shortcuts.  Go. Do. Make. Learn.

Gee, I sound like a know it all.  Actually I am not.  I  still feel like I have learned nothing about painting after many years of painting. This is yet another reason why I like to paint so much. I will try to do another top 7 list near the end of my group experience.  Here’s hoping it is better, nicer, gentler, yet still honest.