Artist & Creative Sparkle

I love being creative, but creativity is something that comes and goes for us all. Like everything else in life, motivation and inspiration can be fleeting, and similar to writers who experience "writers block", as a painter I have certainly had times of experiencing an artistic blank over the years. The key (I believe) is to not let that blank turn into a hiatus because the longer it drags on, the harder it can be to return from.

So today I am going share a small list of half a dozen things that I need and use to help light my creative spark!

1) Time

This is probably the number one influence on whether or not I am able to be creative. It is not just

about making time to be able to physically create my pieces, but I know the less free time I have, the more stressed I get, and the more stressed I am, the more artistically blocked I become. So I make an effort to manage my time, ensure I have balance between my work-life and my home-life, and ensure I give myself time to not only work on my paintings, but also leave time for myself as well. Self care is so important, and we all know the saying "you can't pour from an empty cup"!

2) A safe space

For me to be creative, I first need to feel safe. Safety for me is generally just within the comfort of my own home. While I love painting landscapes and beautiful outdoor scenery, I am not a destination painter in that I cannot go out and paint in a unknown environment. I am naturally quite an anxious person, especially in new places and around new people, so in order for me to be creative, I first need to be able to relax. So home sweet home is the place for me.

3) Coffeeeeeeeee (or something a bit stronger 😉)

I LOVE to have a good beverage to sip on while I'm creating. There is nothing better than sitting back, staring at either an empty or half worked canvas, and sipping on a good drink while disassociating into my imagination and finding some inner guidance to start or continue my work.

Most of the time that good bevvy is a coffee or hot chocolate, or in the warmer months I enjoy sipping on a fresh homemade smoothie.

4) Art mediums

This might sounds like "well, duh"... but I cannot emphasize how important it is to work with the right tools. Not to mention it is just straight up exciting to have fresh new paint, paint brushes, canvas or any other random item to craft with. It also helps to have these mediums in different forms, for example - I have my home art area set up with all my paints and brushes, but I also have a little travel bag with smaller paint samples and a smaller paint book which I take with me when I'm travelling home to see my family in case I feel inspired. It also comes in handy if I want to sit on the lounge and just sketch out some new ideas or try some new techniques. Rather than setting up my "main stage", I just grab my smaller sample bag which is quick and easy to utilise and pack up afterwards. It makes accessibility to my creativity much easier.

5) Motivation & Inspiration

Both motivation and inspiration are fleeting - sometimes they occur, sometimes not. Sometimes they both occur simultaneously while other times you may have the motivation to do something but have no inspiration, and the next time you feel inspired, you don't have the motivation to do anything about it. I would like to believe this is just a normal part of being a creative, and we need to find ways to sync our motivation and inspiration so that we can produce a magical and meaningful peace of craft.

"But how do we do this?" I hear you ask...

Firstly lets define the difference between motivation and inspiration as they are 2 very different concepts. According to the Oxford dictionary:

Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative, while

Motivation is a reason or reasons for acting in a particular way.

So now we understand what motivation and inspiration is, its important to understand what motivates you, and what inspires you - I would high recommend writing this down so you can recall these reasons in moments of need.

My motivations and inspirations are the following:

I am motivated by my core values which are to simply be authentic, stay creative and share my passion. These core values help me remain true to myself, and my art.

I am inspired by nature and the beauty that the natural world has to offer. I am in awe of the grand vastness of our universe including all the the planets, stars and galaxies that fill it. I am intrigued by the power the elements hold over all of our lives - the air we breath to survive, the earth we live on which feeds and houses us, the water we drink which hydrates and revives us, and fire which brings light and warm into our lives. I can literally lose myself to nature: I love the sound of rain hitting the ground, thunder and lightening crackling through the sky, trees rustling in the wind, and free flowing water (whether it be rivers, waterfalls or waves on a beach). All these things are both simply and complexly, beautiful.

6) Trust the process.

This final point is as straight forward yet as challenging as it sounds. There have been countless times when I am mid-piece and I feel like it is just not turning out the way I want which can causes all my little self doubt gremlins in my head to pike up and make me lose my motivation and/or inspiration. But the biggest thing I have learnt over my many years of painting, is to TRUST THE PROCESS!! Go with the flow and remember that it isn't done until YOU say it is.

So there you have it... my 6 steps to keeping my creative spark alight. While writing this blog and reflecting on this topic, I can't help but feel called to action an attempt in trying to not only keep my own spark alight, but to also help others in lighting theirs. While I recognise that everyone's creativity is sparked differently, I hope this might give a newbie or up-and-comer some things to consider while trying to be creative.

Sending Love & Positive Vibes,