Ever wondered if there's something you could be doing to move your art journey forward aside from practicing your technical drawing/painting skills? Have you ever considered the fact that your daily habits and mental attitudes may be the source of your artistic stagnation and frequent struggles with art block?
If you're a beginner or intermediate artist of any kind, you're most likely spending a lot of time each week searching for tutorials or art classes that will help you improve your drawing and/or painting skills. You may be investing a lot of hours practicing and, while you may be improving, you still feel stuck or frustrated. It's absolutely amazing that you're taking your art seriously and investing time in developing those technical skills. It's incredibly important to build up abilities that will allow us to produce quality artwork. However, being an artist can be tough mentally and it's just as important to work on having healthy and positive mental habits. It's important to embrace the point we're currently at and believe we have it in us to get to the skill level we want to be at. By working on both our cold artistic skills, as well as our positive mental habits simultaneously, there's a much greater chance we'll reach success and will be able to sustain it throughout the years. In today's blog post/YouTube video I'll be sharing the top five issues that keep us from progressing as fast as we could be, and are also probably making our artistic journeys a lot less enjoyable! After each point, I'll be sharing some practical tips that you can use when you find yourself falling into these black holes. Most of us are guilty of at least a few of these and, while it's totally normal for us to experience them from time to time, it's useful to have methods which will help put us back on a constructive path. If you've read more of my past blog posts, or watched any of my YouTube videos, you're probably aware that I owe much of my artistic progress to my mindset and general life habits. As an artist struggling with anxiety, it's incredibly important for me to keep my mental health in check and devote time to my own well-being. Since I've implemented a series of changes in my life, my work and productivity levels have made a huge turn for the better. Check out my past blog post titled 10 Positive Affirmations for Artists to Maximize Productivity and Happiness.
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Habits and Attitudes to Set Aside NOW1. Chasing Perfection + Fear of Failure Perfectionism and fear of failure are the absolute worst enemies of creativity. Exploration is a fundamental part of being an artist, and, how are we going to embrace it if we are always living in fear of not producing the most beautiful outcome? It's essential for us to be able to produce large quantities of work and learn to view mistakes as signs of artistic growth. Though in many life situations, quality is more important than quantity, I don't think this is the case for artists, especially when he/she is just starting out. At the beginning, production should be constant, and we should expect it to be messy. The more you produce, the better you become. Never fear a blank page or canvas. Art is not meant to be perfect, and chasing perfection all the time isn't going to make you more of an artist. In fact, I believe that it's imperfections that make an artwork special. This means it was created by a human hands and not a machine! *What to do if you feel you can't get out of this: Build up your confidence incrementally. Make sure that you've learned and practiced art fundamentals enough. Then, create smaller sketches and artworks, and build from there. Slowly but surely, you'll gain more and more confidence and you'll face greater challenges more organically. Learn to embrace exploration as a fundamental part of the artistic process. Smaller studies are just as important as those larger pieces you're striving to create! Check out my blog post titled Why Sketchbooks are Essential Tools for Artists + A Few Usage Tips, to learn about why it's so important to create art consistently and useful tips to make the most out of your sketchbook practice. 2. Constantly comparing yourself to other artists No two people in the world are the same and we know this. We have all been through different life situations and have been influenced by combinations of different things. All of us have our own quirks, tastes, strengths and weaknesses, and unique traits that make us....us. And all of this is great because, we can work towards creating unique art that truly represents us! Why would you want to be somebody else, in the first place? I mean, I get it! It's hard not to compare your skill level to other artists' when you're constantly seeing so many magnificent artworks through social media. However, most of the time, these people aren't sharing their struggles and mistakes and only their finalized successful pieces. Not to mention, you have no idea how long he/she has been working to get to that point. How long have YOU been working at it? When you see works by an artist you consider amazingly talented, view them as a point that you can get to if you work really hard, and leave aside any feelings of jealousy or insecurity! *What to do if you feel you can't get out of this: Limit your intake of other artists' work to only specific days each week. Consider periods in which you aren't actively searching for external influences as periods of "incubation". These phases are incredibly important, as they allow you to truly digest the information you've taken in, think about how you can make it your own, and really bring forth your OWN ideas! I cannot tell you how important these periods are, especially when you're already working on finding your own artistic voice and style!
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3. Downright copying other artists work and not giving any thought (or importance) to your own ideas/voice There's nothing wrong with getting inspired by other artists, especially when we're just starting out and searching for our own artistic style/voice. We're all influenced by external factors, whether we want to admit it or not. Personally, I started drawing by copying Sailor Moon cards when I was a little girl! I think most of us start by copying and we can definitely learn a lot from studying a particular artist's style/technique. However, these are studies and, more often than not, we should keep these to ourselves. It's important to recognize that constantly copying other artists' work and not giving any thought to what you personally want to put out into the world, isn't going to help you progress past a certain technical point. Isn't this the whole point of creating art getting your own thoughts and ideas out into the world, anyway? This is something we should all be striving for at the end, I think. *What to do if you feel you can't get out of this: A while back, I wrote a very thorough blog post explaining the method I personally use to get inspired by other artists while still creating original artwork. In this post, I take you step-by-step through this process and share my end-product with you! Find this post here: How to Effectively Use Other Artists' Work as Inspiration and a Great Method to Start Developing Your Own Artistic Style. The idea is quite simple. Instead of focusing on copying one artist's work, study several different pieces by three of your favorite artists simultaneously. This will challenge you to arrive at those characteristics that call out to you, personally, about their works and to combine them all into one new artwork! 4. Being inconsistent in your practice I know that life gets crazy busy. We have jobs, families and life is unpredictable. However, if your art is important to you and you really want to make something out of it one day, it's imperative to make it a priority. If you don't practice consistently, your skills are going to stay stagnant at best (if you're lucky). This said, smaller explorations and sketches are definitely ways of progressing! As I mentioned before, sketchbook work and smaller pieces are just as important as larger artworks. The trick here is to stay consistent and keep moving forward in any way you can. Use your creative muscles and get your ideas down on paper as frequently as possible, otherwise, it's going to be hard for you to get to the point you want to be at. *What to do if you feel you can't get out of this: Only have 15-20 minutes today? No problem! Get that sketchbook out and create a quick pencil sketch! Not enough energy to concentrate after a tough day at work? Do at least a loose, abstract exploration of color, line and shape! Invest a few minutes of your day into planning a new project and schedule some time in this weekend, when life isn't as crazy. The point is to keep moving forward and keep your end-goal in mind, always! 5. Not making time for exploration I've already mentioned that exploration and art go hand in hand. It's through exploration that we get to know ourselves as artists and bring new life to our work. Exploration isn't only incredibly important in the beginning of our journeys! Any artist, no matter how talented or established, should continue making time for new challenges because this will help prevent stagnation and take his/her artwork to new levels. Exploring new mediums and techniques helps expand our knowledge and enhances our work. By making time for exploration, we arrive at ideas that we would have otherwise never thought of. *What to do if you feel you can't get out of this: Set aside time, each month, to explore something you don't usually explore. It doesn't necessarily mean you should go out and buy expensive art supplies that you may end up never using again! It can simply mean trying your hand at creating a landscape when you usually focus on abstract work, or finally trying out that gouache paint set you've had buried in your closet for months. You can also collect a few old magazines and create a few collages! Have fun with it! Here's a video in which I share my favorite method for overcoming Art Block, as well as a time-lapse of an exploratory oil painting I worked on a few weeks ago.
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Which of the five habits or attitudes mentioned here has caused YOU the most trouble as you try to progress artistically? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below!
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Hey there, art friends! The past couple of weeks, I've been sketching a lot of female figure studies, as well as portraits. In case you're not following me on Instagram, you should! Over there, I share what I'm up to on a daily basis. If you've already been following me, then you're probably aware that a couple of weeks ago I challenged myself to produce a total of five landscape paintings using oils. I've nearly completed the second, which I will be sharing soon! I'm including the first in this mini-collection of my latest artwork! That's it for now, but stay tuned for much more to come! I hope you're having a wonderful day and that you've been able to set aside at least a bit of time to work on your art. Cheers! Have you ever gotten more and more disappointed with yourself as you see days, weeks, even months being consumed by daily obligations, and not having the necessary time to move forward artistically? Do you go through your days feeling completely scattered and oblivious as to how you're supposed to make any significant artistic progress with everything you have going on in life? "Time is the single most important resource that we have. Every single minute we lose is never coming back." -Tarun Sharma I'd like to start this post off by saying that I totally, 100%, feel your pain. Even though today I can call myself an artistpreneur, I worked as a full-time employee at extremely demanding office jobs and teaching positions for years before even considering this move. Even though this article is primarily oriented towards the working artist and you may still be working a day job, most of the tips in this article will be useful for you as you plan for your end-goal. That said, if you're still transitioning (or looking to start), it's important that you understand what it truly means to be a "full-time artist". In reality, making a living from one's art and artistic skills, entails a huge list of tasks that take away a lot of time from actually creating art. At least this is the case for us artists who have no assistance and do everything ourselves. And this is why it's so, incredibly important to be smart about how we're using our time! Whether you're someone still working a regular full-time job and dreaming of becoming an artist, someone working part-time building up the platform (and courage) to finally take the leap, or even if you're already making a living from your art. It's essential for all of us to think about our specific goals, so that we can plan and put our strategies to use. Effective time-management is an invaluable skill that will allow us consistent progress and, today, I'll be sharing the philosophies and specific methods I live by to stay productive and moving the needle forward every-single-day. By applying these tips and techniques, you'll be able to go to sleep each night knowing that you've made progress towards reaching your goals and becoming the artist you want to be. 10 Tips to Master the Art of Time Management 1. Define your personal, professional and interpersonal goals “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” –Yogi Berra I like to set general yearly goals that I then break up into monthly goals. I then use these monthly goals to plan out my objectives week by week. By having a weekly objective, it's easier to know what you should be working on any given day. Think of where you want to be twelve months from now in ALL key areas of life. It's helpful to think about what daily habits you have now that require changing, as well as what things you must prioritize from now on in order to make those goals happen. It's essential that you set goals for all of the following areas: a) Personal level: What changes can you make to be healthier mentally and physically in a year from now? b) Professional level: What skills do you feel you should improve to become more successful? Think of both cold AND soft skills. c) Interpersonal level: Who are those people you value most in life and what actions do you have to take daily/weekly to ensure that those relationships are kept strong and healthy? And, on that note, what people are not adding anything positive to your life? Though we are talking about being productive artistically, I assure you, that all of these life aspects are equally important and bleed into each other. If you neglect your health and family, your work will undoubtably suffer as well. It's important that the goals you set for yourself are measurable, attainable and realistic depending on your current life situation. Here's an example of my long-term goals for the following twelve months: Other examples of long term goals in the Professional area could be: -Complete an online drawing course -Learn how to draw hands -Fill an entire sketchbook -Finish 5 acrylic paintings on canvas You get the picture! :) Once you've decided where you want to be in a year, it's time to break up goals into smaller, sequential chunks! Think about what specific things have to happen month-to-month so that you can reach that end goal twelve months from now. In number 2, I'll be explaining what time-blocking is and how to create your weekly schedules using this method. 2. Schedule your weeks using time-blocking “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.” –Napoleon Hill Time-blocking is a scheduling method in which you break up your day into...well... blocks of time. Within each block, similar tasks are grouped together so that you can focus on that specific type of activity in that specific period of the day. For time-blocking to happen effectively, it's important to know yourself and what times throughout the day would work for you in order to best fulfill that particular kind of activity. As artists, it's important to experiment until we have a good idea of when we're most creatively productive throughout the day. Once we figure this out, we can plan the rest of our daily activities around these times. Leave the tasks you can do on autopilot (like clearing your inbox or organizing your studio) for moments of the day in which you find it difficult to focus or are generally mentally exhausted. Personally, I don't follow the time-blocking method super strictly, as I combine it with daily to-do lists. I like creating my general weekly schedules so that I have a sense of what kind of tasks I should be doing at what times of the day. These schedules allow me to have a routine/consistency in the chaotic world of creative entrepreneurship. However, when it comes to specifics, I like creating daily bullet lists that I can check off and write on as things pop up. Though the time-blocking method does require you to spend time doing initial thinking/planning, once you have your schedule set, it's all a matter of sticking to it and being as consistent as possible. By investing some time in this initial planning phase, you'll end up wasting a lot less time in the long run. So, make it happen! Take the goals you have set for each month, think of what you have to achieve by the end of each week to reach those goals, and break your days up into specific tasks. Set your weekly schedule and do your very best to stick to it for, at least, a month. All this said, keep in mind that life is unpredictable. Though planning is incredibly important, things will pop up that you haven't accounted for and we constantly have to deal with situations that are simply beyond our control. Stay calm! Remain flexible, be kind to yourself and keep moving forward. Here's an example of how my ideal weekly schedule looks like currently.
3. Assess and improve your time management strategies every now and then “Practice without improvement is meaningless." -Chuck Knox As working artists, we generally have to keep up with several different ways of making an income. As opposed to having only one "main" job, we have several smaller jobs that can fluctuate from month to month. It's impossible to know when a new event, commission or opportunity for collaboration will pop up, amongst many other items that may require more attention one month than the next. Nonetheless, it's important to assess our strategies every now and then in order to pinpoint any improvements we can make. I usually like doing this at the end of each month, especially now that my business is growing and more responsibilities/opportunities are popping up. It's imperative to create at least some level of routine to stay sane and healthy! We must avoid burnout at all costs. I recommend doing a general weekly schedule assessment every month to two months, so you can create any changes and improve your productivity even more. Think about tasks that would perhaps work better in different time blocks, or maybe activities that need longer blocks than initially planned. I know I personally tend to underestimate the amount of time I need to complete certain tasks, especially when it comes to creating art and planning new projects! Assessing your systems regularly will allow you to keep improving your productivity levels over time. Improvement is the name of the game when you are building a business! 4. Identify personal time-wasters and cut down on distractions “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks." -Winston Churchill In this world of constant distraction, it's imperative to think about whether those activities that take up so much of our time are actually helping us move closer to our goals or not. Don't get me wrong, it's very important to have time for fun and relaxation, and I think these times should be scheduled in as well so that we make sure we're enjoying our lives. However, we should be honest with ourselves! If you find you're wasting hours on end stalking people on social media, constantly engaging in negative small-talk with others, or spending valuable time on activities that bring nothing positive to your life, cut them out! I'm personally completely unapologetic about cutting activities and even negative people out of my life at this point. I'd much rather be resting in order to be as productive as possible the following day, instead of staying up late and partying constantly. If you find this too hard, at the very least avoid doing these activities during times that you should be productive. And also protect the time you should be resting because this will affect your productivity levels the following day! I find it very important to be able to focus and diminish distractions at all costs when I'm in creative mode. Personally, I like shutting off my phone or leaving it in another room when I'm drawing or painting. I also try to diminish multitasking throughout the day as much as I can (studies have found that what we do when we multitask is mediocre at best). I really recommend giving some thought to what your personal time-wasters are and try to identify when it is that you find yourself getting sucked into them. If there's anything you really enjoy doing or need to do, schedule it! 5. Learn to say NO “We must say "no" to what, in our heart, we don't want. We must say "no" to doing things out of obligation, thereby cheating those important to us of the purest expression of our love. We must say "no" to treating ourselves, our health, our needs as not as important as someone else's. We must say “no.” -Suzette R. Hinton Remember, time is finite resource and every single minute that goes by is a minute you will not get back. Life is short and we have to make sure we're spending our valuable time doing activities that will get us closer to our goals and overall happiness. Set your non-negotiables from the start and account for that time every day/week. For me, non-negotiables include time to work out, enjoy home cooked meals, and to get decent rest every-single-day. I also like having time to spend with my husband at the end of each work day. If an "urgent" project pops up from out of nowhere, it has to really be something that will get me closer to my goals in order for me to take it. I rarely say yes to projects brought up by people that give me the impression of not respecting my time. I respect other peoples' time immensely, and expect them to do the same for me. Similarly, I avoid saying 'yes' to every single social gathering I'm invited to. Needs for social time vary from person to person, and as an introvert, I know that I have a limit. Though it's important to have social time, I also need to rest and take care of myself. Any true friend will understand and respect that. Another thing I like to do, is letting my loved ones know what I'm currently up to and how my schedule is looking. This way, they are aware of when you'll be available and there's less of a chance you'll have to say 'no' to those you really care about. 6. Make time for organization “For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned." -Benjamin Franklin A lot of time is wasted when we have to look for things. By keeping your work area, supplies and artwork organized you'll not only be able to find whatever you need faster, but you'll also avoid lost/damaged work, accidents and a lot of anxiety. At the end of each workday, I like to spend a few minutes organizing my studio/office so that the next morning I am inspired to start right away. As artists, our computers, phones and other devices collect a lot of reference image files, scanned artwork, etc. I recommend keeping these digital files organized and labelled appropriately. Create back-ups every now and then! Being organized is especially important because, being self-employed, you will have to stay on top of client projects, inventory, and accounting! Set systems in place for each of these that will allow you to waste less time doing admin work and more time actually creating. 7. Consider delegating tasks or investing in time-saving tools “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do." -Jessica Jackley Like a lot of other workaholics, I'm guilty of burning myself out after thinking I'm perfectly capable of doing everything on my own. The fact of the matter is that there are only 24 hours in a day and there's a lot going on that we have no control over. The sooner we accept that nothing will ever be perfect and that we're not superheroes capable of doing everything by ourselves, the better. Whether it's house chores or business tasks, think of people that may be able to help you out. What do you really have to do yourself, and what can be done by someone else in your current life situation? Is it possible for you to invest in hiring an assistant or in tools that can automize tasks that are taking away time you could be spending creating art? Once your business takes off and/or you have the resources to get help, I suggest you do it. You can delegate the tasks that don't excite you as much like maintaining your website, cleaning your studio/office, scanning and organizing artwork, etc. This will allow you more time and energy to focus on producing artwork and improving your skills. Do your best when you can, and learn to let go of what you can't control.
8. Keep pushing and DON'T FORGET to celebrate your accomplishments “Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best." -Theodore Isaac Rubin We usually tend to focus on everything that we have yet to do and don't ever take a moment to realize how far we have come since we started. Just like it's essential to keep moving forward, it's important to look back and take note of everything we've been able to accomplish. Milestones, no matter how small, are important and acknowledging them will encourage us to keep working hard towards achieving our goals. Do your best daily and stay focused on what is important to you. Be proud of yourself for acknowledging your passions and working towards them! Have you reached a point in your art journey at which you feel relatively confident about your skills but are anxious to find your own style and voice? Are you stuck with your art and feel that your own perfectionism and/or fear of failure is keeping you from moving forward? "Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others." -Orson Welles There is a point in every artist's journey at which a substantial amount of time and effort has been dedicated to developing artistic skills, but the artist has yet to decide what ideas he/she wants to share with the world and what mediums, techniques and style will set him/her apart from others. It takes an immense amount of work, exploration and introspection to push through this point, but it's important to keep on until the breakthrough happens. In my opinion, it's exactly this desire to push through the initial phase that differentiates a hobbyist from a pro. It's a point at which perfect rendering and technique becomes just as important as (or may even take back seat to) having an artwork transmit the ideas or feelings we are striving to transmit. In this blog post, I will be sharing five very useful tips that will help you loosen up and express more of yourself through your art. It's this exploration that will help you discover yourself as an artist. If you're at this point, it's time to experiment fearlessly and push your limits! I wrote a blog post several months ago in which I share an excellent method that you can apply to start discovering your own art style using other artists' work as inspiration. This strategy will be very useful for you in this stage, so make sure to check it out after this post. How to Effectively Use Other Artists' Work as Inspiration and a Great Method to Start Developing Your Own Artistic Style. Currently, I'm doing a lot of exploratory work with oils on canvas. If you've been following my work for any amount of time, you probably already know that I love working on smaller-scale watercolor illustrations. However, I've had the pleasure of creating larger decorative fine art for local clients and have really enjoyed it! I'm making time for oil painting as much as I can and am planning on selling my artwork internationally in the near future. I'm working on a series of five large landscape oil paintings. I will be sharing these with you throughout the upcoming weeks so stay tuned!
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5 Tips That Will Help You Become More Loose and Expressive When Creating Art "Regularity, order, desire for perfection destroy art. Irregularity is the basis of all art." -Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1. Gain confidence in your skills by learning and practicing Art Fundamentals In order to draw or paint freely, you need to have a certain level of confidence in your skills and artistic knowledge. And the only way to truly gain confidence in anything, is by practicing first-handedly and delving deep into the fundamentals. Knowing Art Fundamentals inside and out is going to help you immensely, and is the basis for everything else. Topics like composition, harmony, proportion, color, perspective, texture, value, etc., have to be engrained in your head so that you can apply this knowledge naturally and organically as you are creating your artwork. Over at my Patreon site, I have a library of classes that cover all the basic Art Fundamentals I learned about in school, in sequential order! All of my most helpful, exclusive content such as real-time drawing and watercolor painting tutorials with downloadables, weekly sketchbook prompts, feedback from me on your work, and much more can be accessed immediately upon joining. Check out my Patreon site here! Aside from knowing Art Fundamentals, it's also imperative for you to have some experience working with whatever medium and supplies you're thinking of using. How are you going to paint or draw freely if you feel like you're constantly fighting with the medium, or have no idea how the substrate/medium/etc. is going to react throughout the process? The saying "Learn the rules before you can break them" applies here! In my blog post titled Why Sketchbooks Are Essential Tools for Artists and A Few Usage Tips I share how I personally use my sketchbooks on a daily basis to make sure I'm progressing continuously. 2. Prepare yourself mentally before you begin It's absolutely essential to start a challenging piece in the right headspace. Once you have arrived at the idea of what you'll be creating, start with positivity and confidence. I've mentioned this before, but our minds are extremely powerful. Remember, if you think you're going to fail, you most likely will. Now is the time to embrace experimentation and throw perfectionism out the window. Allow the magic to happen as you work with your medium and tools. Do your best to give up some of your control and allow your medium to do some of the speaking for itself. 3. Paint with larger brushes and, if possible, on a larger substrate Painting/drawing at a larger scale will not only encourage more arm movement (which in turn leads to more dynamic work), but allows you to focus on larger shapes. Using a larger brush, or drawing tools like chalk or charcoal, also make it more difficult to obsess over tiny little details. This, in turn, challenges you to think about what is actually needed in your composition and what can be left out. Not to mention, larger pieces are also (usually) meant to be viewed from farther away. At the moment of drawing or painting, step back and continuously remind yourself that the piece is meant to be appreciated from a distance. If you're creating a painting, remember that your paintbrush is not meant to be held as a writing pencil or pen! Try holding it with your thumb and index finger, and keep the rest of your hand relaxed. Beginners have a tendency to hold brushes very close to the bristles to feel more in control. Try holding your brush farther up the handle, anywhere from halfway up to the tip. Explore the different types of brush strokes your brushes are able to create, and the shapes and textures their bristles naturally leave behind. Load your paintbrushes with a good amount of paint so that there's more of a chance for interesting "natural" occurrences to happen.
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4. Use music Music can have such a deep impact on our mood and inspiration levels! I love creating a good, long playlist for myself prior to starting with a painting. Music helps keep my creativity flowing and my energy high for hours. Our taste in music will vary from person to person, of course. Perhaps an artist looking to create an extremely dynamic abstract painting would be inspired by music with a faster/upbeat tempo. Whereas, another artist might find more relaxing, classical music more helpful. Regardless of your taste in music, create a playlist that will help you stay positive, inspired and motivated to continue. 5. Practice leaving your brushstrokes alone Do your best to place your brushstrokes (or lines if your drawing) with intention and then leave them alone! Allow the organic occurrences to happen and think of how you can use these effects to your advantage instead of trying to correct them or blend them out. Stop yourself from pushing forward with actions that are really not really necessary. Try to do more with less and don't obsess over every tiny little accident or irregularity. Let go of the need to control everything! I hope that you found this post helpful and that it encouraged you to keep exploring and moving forward with your art. I wish you all the best and remember to enjoy the process!
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) Do you want to go off on vacation, but fear you'll lose your creative streak or even fall behind artistically if you take a few days off? Ever wondered how you can ensure creative progress while away from the studio and regular work routines? Curious to see what happens when you take your art-making on the road but are, perhaps, a bit nervous about working in unusual/public settings? As artists, traveling is a great way of gaining new inspiration and facing challenges that can lead to substantial growth. It may sound counterintuitive, especially for us workaholics, but putting miles between us and our studios may be just what we need to kick our creative progress into gear. In today's blog post, I'll be sharing the three things I personally did to prepare for my last trip, which allowed me to enjoy it immensely WHILE moving forward artistically. By preparing ourselves mentally and doing a bit of research beforehand, we can take full advantage of our travels and come back home refreshed, motivated and full of ideas! To clarify, I consider the incubation of ideas just as important as the act of creating finalized artworks. It's through first-hand experiences that we get to know ourselves as artists and come to conclusions about what messages we want to bring to the world. This, for me, is just as essential as working on our cold artistic skills. I absolutely loved Toronto! In my last blog post/YouTube video, I shared how there was just SO much to get inspired by! Check that post out HERE. The huge variety in cultures present in the city, as well as the beautiful architecture, music, coffee, shops, galleries and art studios triggered a lot of emotions in me that made me want to create.
Visit THIS blog post to find more pictures of the painting process for this watercolor sandwich!
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3 Hacks to Apply Before and During Your Next Trip1. Give some thought to what supplies and promotional items you'll be taking with you The supplies that you choose to take with you will vary depending on your artistic medium(s) of choice, as well as how comfortable you are drawing or painting in public (or rushed) situations. I love watercolors and immediately reached for my smallest/most portable set to pack up. However, I knew that I would probably have limited time and space to create, so I also made sure to take a few pencils and drawing pens with me. I recommend sticking to the basics and taking only what's truly necessary when selecting your art supplies (unless you're deliberately traveling to a drawing/painting event). Take your most portable sets and supplies that allow for easy cleaning, making sure they aren't the most expensive or even your favorite. Things get lost and damaged during trips, and you want to avoid sad situations. Also, consider what bag you'll use to carry your stuff in while walking around. I knew since before my husband and I started preparing for our trip, that I didn't want to pressure myself or take away from fully enjoying the experiences Toronto had to offer. I wanted to focus more on taking note of moments, feelings and thoughts that popped up. The few sketches I created were quick, but I made sure to take lots of reference pictures that I could work with when I got home. If you're up for the challenge, however, traveling is a great opportunity to practice plein air painting, drawing settings, objects and people! You can also set timers for yourself to practice creating faster drawings and/or paintings, which will help you become more expressive and efficient!
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Are you a professional artist? I highly recommend taking time to create unique promotional items that you can give to awesome people you meet while you're traveling!
Instead of giving out a regular business card, think of items that people will actually want to have around and/or use. Be practical about it, of course, as you'll have to make space for them in your suitcase and there's always a risk of things getting damaged throughout the journey.
I had some notebooks made with my artwork on the cover and contact information on the back and people loved them!
Check out my FREE Patreon-exclusive tutorial and class samples here.
2. Use social media to reach out to locals working in areas related to your niche
A couple of weeks before my trip I got the idea of using social media channels to send out a message to artists actually living in Toronto. It's one thing to get recommendations from friends or family who've visited the city/town before, and quite another to get insights from actual local artists.
I created a nice-looking image using Canva calling out for Toronto-based artists and posted it on Instagram and Twitter (a few appropriate hashtags included). I honestly didn't know if I would get any responses, and should have posted it at least a couple of more times.
Fortunately, two very helpful locals got back to me with their recommendations. I even got to meet one of them during my trip, which was awesome.
Using your own research, as well as suggestions from local artists, create a list of places that you want to make sure to visit during your trip, always taking into account their distance from the hotel you'll be staying in.
Think of experiences that you find particularly enjoyable, instead of spending your whole trip running around from place to place visiting the usual tourist-y locations just because that's what everyone tells you you should do (unless you actually want to).
2. Use social media to reach out to locals working in areas related to your niche
A couple of weeks before my trip I got the idea of using social media channels to send out a message to artists actually living in Toronto. It's one thing to get recommendations from friends or family who've visited the city/town before, and quite another to get insights from actual local artists.
I created a nice-looking image using Canva calling out for Toronto-based artists and posted it on Instagram and Twitter (a few appropriate hashtags included). I honestly didn't know if I would get any responses, and should have posted it at least a couple of more times.
Fortunately, two very helpful locals got back to me with their recommendations. I even got to meet one of them during my trip, which was awesome.
Using your own research, as well as suggestions from local artists, create a list of places that you want to make sure to visit during your trip, always taking into account their distance from the hotel you'll be staying in.
Think of experiences that you find particularly enjoyable, instead of spending your whole trip running around from place to place visiting the usual tourist-y locations just because that's what everyone tells you you should do (unless you actually want to).
3. Stay open to inspiration coming from EVERYWHERE (not only the visual arts)
Think about things and experiences that usually trigger your inspiration/motivation. If you're an artist, of course you're going to find museums and galleries enjoyable.
However, what other things do you find inspiring? Is it history? Architecture? Fashion? Food? Nature? Music? Clubs? What is it for you and how can your personal interests translate into activities that you can experience in that particular city?
I understand how for some people it may be important to check off every-single tourist attraction in a specific city, especially because you never know when you'll be able to go back to that particular place. However, try to also incorporate your personal interests into your trip.
I often find quaint, lesser known establishments/areas just as enjoyable as the bigger attractions, and I also love getting to know what life is like for locals. Having the opportunity to chat with locals is very inspiring because you get to know perspectives of people living in cities different from your own.
In my blog post titled How I Find Inspiration as an Artist and Some Ideas to Keep You Going, I talk about the mentality I've adopted as an artist that allows me to be constantly inspired to create. I also give some useful tips that you can apply to keep your creativity flowing steadily.
Supplies and inspirational items I bought during my trip:
1. Black back-pack and pins: Sonic Boom Records
2. The Starving Artist Cookbook, written and illustrated by Sara Zin: Sonic Boom Records
3. Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook: Art Gallery of Ontario Museum (Gift shop)
4. Emily Carr and Lawren Harris Art Magnets: Art Gallery of Ontario Museum (Gift shop)
5. AGO Museum Tote Bag: Art Gallery of Ontario Museum (Gift shop)
6. Emily Carr- An Introduction to Her Life and Art: Acadia Art and Rare Books
*Book can be acquired through Amazon HERE.
7. Wanderlust and Wildflowers Colored Pencils: Kid Icarus Gift and Screen Print Shop
8. Green Ink Pad: Kid Icarus Gift and Screen Print Shop
9. Schoolbook Lowercase Alphabet Stamps: Kid Icarus Gift and Screen Print Shop
Artusiasm is an amazing art gallery that was recommended to me by an artist/designer kind enough to respond to my calling through Instagram! I'm so thankful for this recommendation because the gallery and its owners are truly amazing people! Thanks Ben!! :)
*Click on the images below to visit Artusiasm's site.
To end this blog post, I want to remind you to try to find a balance between enjoying life, taking care of yourself, and staying productive. If you're lucky enough to travel, enjoy the experience as much as possible, remain open, and most likely, inspiration will happen naturally. Don't pressure yourself and focus more on recording your thoughts, feelings and ideas!
I wish you the best of luck in your art journey and lots of opportunities for traveling!
Cheers!
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is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites
to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.