I’m a member of several art and photography groups on Facebook. I enjoy seeing people’s work and learning more about different techniques.
Do you know what I notice when most people share their work? They immediately make a self-deprecating remark about it.
This isn’t very good.
I’m not happy with this.
How could I make this better?
People make these comments, especially if it’s a drawing or painting being shared. There is something terrifying about creating a work of art from scratch and sharing it with the world. That’s certainly the case for me.
Interestingly, I hardly ever see this in the photography groups. I think because photography is more of a technical art. The picture is already there, you just have to see and capture it. That’s a bit safer than a blank page. If you take a bad picture, you can correct your mistakes and try again in seconds with digital cameras.
I’m primarily a photographer, and I love the medium. It is an elegant art form that can be taken to the next level. You must learn to see and compose with light and technical settings. It’s also accessible to everyone in a way that drawing isn’t.
At least, it feels that way to me. Please let me know if you find the reverse to be true! I’m genuinely curious.
I’ve been trying to learn to draw better and use watercolors. Painting is easier for me because I can be loose and abstract. Drawing is difficult for me, and I have a Commercial Art Degree!
They say anyone can learn to draw, and that’s true to an extent, but I believe some people have an easier time because they have the ability to “see” better.
I prefer designing on the computer. It is easier to create the vision I had in my head.
When I draw, it’s possible for me to get into “creative flow,” but my ADHD brain doesn’t like it. It’s too impatient. Unless I can kick myself into hyper focus.
It’s hard to let go and enjoy the creative process, but what if that’s the very thing we need to do?
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”—Pablo Picasso
When kids create art, they enjoy the process. They don’t worry about making things perfect. Kids don’t care if they color outside the lines, or make the grass purple. It’s all about having fun and embracing the process.
We can learn a lot from kids. There’s a lot to be gained by play and enjoying the creative process.
What if it’s okay to mess up? What if it’s okay to create just for fun?
Do these statements sound foreign to you? They do to me. But maybe—just maybe—creating for fun could lead to some of our biggest breakthroughs.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Shocking thought, I know. In our Instagram ready world, we think that everything we create has to be perfect, and it’s killing our creativity.
Spring Challenge
This is my spring challenge, and I’d love for you to join in.
Take some time each week this spring to do art for fun. Don’t worry about sharing it. In fact—don’t. Take the pressure completely off yourself.
Do whatever interests you.
Paint, color, draw, take pictures. Anything you like. Just enjoy the process, and see what happens. This doesn’t mean you can’t work on your skills, but focus more on enjoying yourself.
If you wait until you can do an activity perfectly, you will never do it. Believe me, I know. Even if what you create looks dreadful to you, you’ve still created art! And you’ve put a chip in that “perfectionist armor.”
Need help getting started and bypassing your perfectionist tendencies?
I did, so I recently bought Wreck This Journal: Now in Color, by Keri Smith, and I highly recommend it. There are a few other versions, so choose the one you like best.
The whole purpose of the book is to wreck it. The pages instruct you to punch, fold, tear strips out and glue them, scribble, color outside the lines, mix colors, etc. Some of the prompts are quite—creative. Some I will not do because they are yucky, but it’s overall great fun. If you are a perfectionist, you will probably have to start small. I did.
Play is a necessity for creativity. I firmly believe that if we spend more time creating for fun, and not to post on social media, it will benefit our creativity, and eventually our skill.
“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.”—Abraham Maslow
Most of all, have fun! Let me know how it goes.
Take care,
Lisa