The downside of too much input (more thoughts on previous post)

I've been thinking a lot lately about these orphaned paintings sitting in my computer, unloved and abandoned. Why was I unable to finish the Dancer two years ago? I believe it was because I was taking in too much input and became overwhelmed. I started with an idea. I put it down on paper, and then started to research. I looked at numerous pictures of dancers, costumes, photos of faces, hands, feet...Each picture I found that I loved, it took the painting a new direction. I would change it to match the reference. Soon the original idea was looong gone, and I was left with a split-personality painting that couldn't decide what it was.

My problem was that I was taking in too much input. I was drowning myself with reference material, and not only that, but other artist works as well. My original idea died of suffocation.

This has been an on going problem for me. Last year, I was struggling to identify my artistic voice, my style. I found that my "style" change from day to day, depending on which artist I was drooling over. I was having an artistic identity crisis.

I decided one day that I need to take a break from all the input I was receiving, and take time to focus on creating art that comes natural to me. In order to hear my own artistic voice, I had to turn down all the others around me. Now it turns out, I have absorbed a lot of those artist into my own style, and I'm seeing it more and more every day. (Just today I realized that so many of my animals have "Precious Moments" eyes. I used to love Precious Moments as a child, and then grew out of it, but I can remember staring at the eyes for hours at a time...)

I still struggle with being overwhelmed with too much input. I am a web addict: I check my blog reader every few minutes. I am a member of more art forums and sites than I can count. But I'm learning when it is important to step away from the computer, and sit down at my drawing table.

Wednesday

The number of times today I've ALMOST dipped my paint brush in my tea instead of my paint water: 10.
The number of times today I've ALMOST taken a drink of my paint water instead of my tea: 2


Don't forget tomorrow is the last day of the $5.00 sale on Art Cards! Two new ones:

Creating time to be creative

We all suffer from it. It is constantly getting in the way of our creative drive, robbing of us of our energy, and creative spark. Its called Life.

But that's not art!
We are driven to create. Its is what makes us, us. We can't NOT do it. And when we can't, we start to feel guilty. It begins to feel like one more failure in your life. Which makes us feel even LESS like picking up the brushes and getting to work.

Knock it off! Stop for a minute. Look around you. What are you doing? Are you getting dressed in the morning? Are you making lunch? Are you solving a difficult problem at work? Are you comforting a friend? Guess what? You are being creative! You are making creative choices every day, you just don't see them. Quiet that guilty voice in your head by acknowledging the every day creative things you ARE doing. Then take a breath, and start carving out time to do the things you really want to do.

I'm too creative to have routines!
I'm sorry, but that is a bunch of bull. The truth is, routines put us on autopilot, so that our brains can be free to be creative.

Setting up routines for yourself to take care of those everyday things that HAVE to be done, gives you the freedom to give into your artistic whims. If you had things at home & work under control, you would be able to stop and paint, or scrapbook, or sculpt, or whatever, whenever the Muse calls. You wouldn't be worrying about the dishes or laundry or trash or dusting....

So what's an artist to do when life is determined to stomp out our Muse? Simple: don't let it! This is life. Its not going to go away. If it is important to you, find a way. See the art in everything you do. If you can't paint, make that pb&j sandwich the best looking sandwich you've ever seen! That is art too, and don't you ever forget it.

For tools for setting up routines, visit www.flylady.net