Objective: to think about the fear involved in being or becoming creative and move past it.
Artmaking has been a part of my life since I was really young. I went to an art high school here in Houston and afterward an art college in San Francisco. I draw, paint and take photographs. I crochet and quilt too, when I can. My hands are not good being idle. At various stages of my life, I wasn't making art and it always showed in my psyche. I need to make art. For me, life and art are entwined.
Being creative is tough though. It gets real personal, real fast and that can be very difficult. I know that some people who read this blog are photographers, some are friends and clients and some of you I don't know very well at all. I do know that nurturing our creative side is something that most of us struggle with whether it is your daily bread or just something that you enjoy doing. I know a lot of people want to be more creative and just struggle with getting started. For those of you who are creative as a part of your daily life and work, you may fight to keep it fresh and to stay inspired. I have been reading a book this week that has me really thinking about all of this and I wanted to share it with you guys. I am hoping there is a little something for everyone.
Why is it hard to be creative, put pen to paper, take the picture, write the first line? I think it is because art is personal. It is about you, on the inside. So, what happens if you take what is inside your heart and you put it to paper and present it to the world and the world doesn't like it? What does that say about the inside of your heart? Consider this quote from the book that I am reading, Art & Fear:
"But if making art gives substance to your sense of self, the corresponding fear is that you're not up to the task- that you can't do it, or can't do it well, or can't do it again; or that you're not a real artist, or not a good artist, or have no talent, or have nothing to say."
When I talk about being creative and "making art", I mean all forms of creative expression. Whether you are taking a drawing class for the very first time, a photo class, creating a scrapbook, learning to cook, creating music or writing...It is all coming from the same place- you. This is what makes it important and this is also what makes it hard.
The truth is, making art and being creative (in any capacity) is
dangerous and revealing. It makes you vulnerable, especially if you
share the work that you are making. For many, this fact alone can stop
them in their tracks. The doubt and fear can keep you from even
starting, much less finishing and then sharing.
And what about the "other people" part? This struck me to my core: "In a general way, fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work, while fears about your reception by others prevent you from doing your own work".
The book goes on to discuss other barriers to artmaking. What stops you or tries to stop you? Is it fear disguised as laziness, resistance, distraction, problems with supplies or space, lack of time? Take a serious look and the reasons that keep you from doing what you would like to do, is it really those things or is it fear?
A lot of people get stuck on the notion of "talent" and whether or not they are innately talented. Talent is the idea that something comes easily for a person. If this is true that some people have it and some don't then what happens if you are going along and the creative work that you are doing is suddenly harder? It stops coming easy? What if you hit a "dry spell"? Does that mean that it is, as you may have always suspected, no talent or not enough? Worrying about talent is a terrible waste of energy and time. Focus instead on this:
"Whatever you have is exactly what you need to create your best work"
and this:
"Were talent a prerequisite, then the better the artwork, the easier it would have been to make. But alas, the fates are rarely so generous. For every artist who has developed a mature vision with grace and speed, countless others have laboriously nurtured their art through fertile periods and dry spells, through false starts and breakaway bursts, through successive and significant changes in direction, medium, and subject matter. Talent may get someone off the starting blocks faster, but without a sense of direction or a goal to strive for, it won't count for much. The world is filled with people who were given great natural gifts, sometimes conspicuously flashy gifts, yet never produce anything. And when that heppens, the world soon ceases to care whether they are talented."
If creative pursuits came easy they might not mean as much as they do to us and to the world. I would venture to say that anyone out in the world doing something creative is, at least at times, in struggle. Artmaking is simply not easy.
Your creative energy is there to help you. There are lessons there for you. To see them, you need to follow the road, setting aside (to the best of your abilities) the fear and the judgement. Try to put aside the wishing, the hoping and the expectations as well. Instead, ask your creative spirit what it needs from you and listen to the answer. My friend, Brene, and I were talking about this issue one day and she compared her creative spirit to an infant that she is trying to carry, carefully nestled in front of her, in a Baby Bjorn carrier. I think this is a perfect analogy. Approach your creative self the way you would approach your baby. Don't ask it for things. Instead, ask, is it well rested? Does it need a snack? Is it feeling safe and comfortable?
Like everyone, my life is busy. The days speed by. By the time the kids are in bed, I feel wiped out. I am trying very hard though to carve out a little time to work on my art. In addition to my work at the studio, I have my personal artwork. This work exists, at least for now, outside of the realm of commerce. I am trying to build a body of work to potentially show, somewhere and some point. For now, I am just trying to listen to my creative voice and see where it wants me to go. It feels great AND it feels uncomfortable.
(This is one of my new pieces. The others are a combination of drawing, collage and photography)
So, What can you do to nurture your creative spirit? What stops you from being creative? I'd love to hear your thoughts, please comment.
The book that I quoted and talked about:
Art & Fear
Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
(purchase on Amazon)
By: David Bayles & Ted Orland.
Another great book that talks about these issues AND has exercises for getting creative:
Taking Flight
Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings
By: Kelly Rae Roberts
(her site for the book and her blog)
]]>
