In my last blog post I talked about losing my way and finding it again. I guess this must happen to many of us as we navigate our creative journeys. As time passes I’ve become better at embracing the ebbs and flows of my creative path, the ups and downs, the highs and lows. When I first started making art I naively thought I would create all of the time so when I went into my first creative dip I wondered what on earth was going on, where all of my ideas and motivation had gone?
I soon began to realise over time that creativity doesn’t work like clockwork, is not guaranteed and can’t be summoned when you’re just not feeling it. I began to see that it was cyclical, coming, going and changing as surely and naturally as the seasons. And that’s ok.
Creativity is ever changing, a metaphorical well which needs replenishing and filling when levels begin to get too low.
When I feel my creative energy levels getting low and that urge to create fades a little and I feel tired and lacking inspiration I tend to listen to my body and spend time doing other things, taking a more mindful approach to self care rather than battling against the creative dip. These things such as reading, cooking, walking, practising yoga, watching a good Netflix series all help to fill the well back up. Even taking time to tidy the studio, look through old sketchbooks and art books helps reignite that creative spark. I’ve found looking back through my sketchbooks recently has helped me when I’ve been feeling things getting stale and samey - when the marks and gestures all look and feel the same. I’ve been able to pick through the pages and see things I hadn’t noticed before, new colours and recently new compositions. The fact I have kept all of my sketchbooks makes me very happy, as they are great to sip into when that well needs filling. They also form my creative journal - and document the changes in my art and myself. I’ll talk more about them next time and give you a peek into old and new...