20 Ideas for Capturing Creativity!

  

Hello, hello!

Fall is my *favorite* season! It is like a soul awakening time. I've been keeping busy with an artist feature locally at Edmond Street Parlor, an upcoming collaborative art journal workshop, commissions and...

a newsletter. There's a newsletter now! I'll use it to send you updates, but not to be annoying. If you would like to receive PanArt updates, click here... otherwise ... onto the thought of the day! ...

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What to do on those days when it feels like the creative juices are not flowing so abundantly? When you need inspiration but you don't know where to find it?

I created a list (in no particular order) on how I maintain creativity and inspiration throughout my day-to-day life... starting with...

•  Avoid comparing yourself to others.

This can really apply to a lot more than just art -- but in this case, don't compare your art with someone else's. Your art is YOURS.

•  DO compare your now with your past.

If you are feeling a little bit overwhelmed, or if you you just have a *need* to compare. Grab some of your past work and take a look. Sometimes there might be a technique you used to love, but you've since forgotten about. It might even help you see how far you've come!

•  Take photographs of inspiring things.

Whenever you are out and about - if you see something that strikes a chord with you, take a photograph! We can't always be so lucky as to capture it right then and there. Save it for later and refer to it when you need to!

• Free your mind - listen to your silly ideas.

     Why yes, I think I will draw a robot caveman riding a rocket powered giraffe today.

Or maybe a fish with an elephant trunk?

•  Make something every day.

                      Even if it's really small.

•  Sit down with a brush and make marks.

Mix color, spray down some stencils, finger paint ... make marks!

You do not have to worry about how it looks, just experiment with your supplies.

•  Smudge your
  surroundings.
  
  I love to light a smudge stick (dried white sage) before creating to cleanse the area. I love the scent and find it really calming. Great to clear a busy mind and start creating.

•  Light incense or your favorite candle.

• Grab objects around your house and paint with them..  You could make a stencil out of hot glue, roll a brayer, paint with bubble wrap, drag a comb through the layers, stamp with wine corks, create speckles with a toothbrush... the possibilities are endless!

•  Go outside.
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  Grab a few art supplies and head outside (pending weather, of course) ... go to a park, a conservation area, your backyard... look around.

•  Use an app on your phone, or a notebook and pen to record ideas.

       Sometimes creativity might spark when you just can't create -- for those moments, I just jot down a few notes so I don't forget my vision.

•   Make a inspiring creative space.

  Hang up decorations that you enjoy... make the space *yours*.

•  Keep an organized area.

 Or at least organized enough that you know where everything is...  I don't have enough space for all my "stuff" but I do know where to find everything! Having to search for things just wastes precious creative time.


Taking time to clean your workspace can also give you new ideas. Maybe you will find something you forgot you had, too. 

•  Write.

          If a blank page is staring me down, sometimes the best place to start is to write... you can write about something that is bothering you, something that is exciting you. Then, you can take a brush or brayer and gesso over it. It gives you a launching point AND let's you release some of that stuff inside.

•  Listen to music.
  
  Listening to music while creating isn't everyone's cup of tea... but I find that I work best with a bit of music in the background.

•  Have multiple projects at once
  
  Not to overwhelm yourself - but rather to keep that creativity flowing. Especially with mixed media, unless you use a heat gun you have to wait for things to dry inbetween layers. I find it's best to spend that waiting time by working on something else. I usually have 3 or 4 projects sitting close by that I can alternate with.
  
•  Meditate

    Give yourself a little time to find calm before starting.

• Finish something you have been working on. 

       Even if it is really small.

    Completing a project can give you more confidence, which makes it easier to start something else.

• Learn new skills.
  
  Take time to step out of your comfort zone every now and again.
  
• Set Goals.
  
  ... and meet them! (but don't beat yourself up if you don't.)
  
  Long term - or short term.

What do you do to stay inspired and creative? Share your thoughts below!

Cheers,

Pan