Are You Playing it Safe?
ByLast week I talked about how to (re) discovering your artistic voice along with some concrete ways to start paying attention to yourself and your art-making in order to better understand and develop it.
I also suggested thinking about why you chose the medium (or media) that you use–be it drawing, beading, knitting, painting, etc.–because these choices aren’t an accident.
If you work in a particular medium because it speaks to you or it makes sense to you in some visceral or emotional way, I think that’s good.
Because exploring your passion for this medium further can help you use that medium in a more directed, self-aware way that will in turn help you express your artistic vision.
Especially if you’ve never thought about it that way before.
But it’s also important to make sure you’re not just playing it safe.
You know, making things a certain way or using a certain medium because you’ve always done that, or because it feels a bit uppity to try something “bigger” or more “artistic.”
The old “who do you think you are” syndrome.
Why You Do What You Do
Do you secretly want to try a particular technique or medium but are afraid to because you might stink at it? Or because only “talented, real artists” do that particular something and you don’t qualify?
If this is the case, it’s okay to not change gears suddenly. You don’t have to stop what you’re doing and be braver than you’re ready to be.
But it is useful to pay attention to it–even as you continue to stay in familiar territory doing what you’re good at or what you’ve allowed yourself.
Because paying attention to it is the very first step to making room for it.
You ARE Allowed
In the meantime, I just want to remind you that you ARE allowed to make whatever you want. And you’ll probably be bad at it at first too. Who isn’t? It’s just important to remember the “at first” part.
Especially for media in the fine arts. If you’re wanting to paint or draw but feel like you’re not “artistic” or “talented” enough to try it, it’s just not true.
Those skills can be learned like any other. And everyone, even those innately talented at drawing and painting still had to practice to get where they are today.
In fact, it’s almost not respectful to treat those skills like they don’t require work or commitment–the people you know who do them well have come out of the womb with that predeliction, but they also had to work hard at it.
And you can too. Or you can dabble and just enjoy it. It’s for you to decide.
The only rules about it are in your head.
And if you’re rusty, I know, it’s hard to be rusty. To have been good at it before, and feel like you’re not now. To face the rustiness.
But if you were good at it before, you can be good at it again. It’s not like hitting a fastball or running a race–it doesn’t require you to be young.
It’s just about being willing to be with yourself during the learning or the re-learning phase. To feel okay with yourself in the discomfort of the new or the struggle of being out of shape.
Even if it takes a while–because, you know, there is no hurry–even though we often feel like there is.
That hurry-to-be-good is just the dominant culture talking, it’s not The Truth.
Join Me
If you want a safe place to experiment and create using different media, or to get yourself UN-rusty, come join me this Wednesday for the next Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class.
No one can see you and it’s a great chance to play and think and create a few pieces you can respond to the rest of the week. We had a lot of fun last Wednesday, and it feels so good to just create and think about creating for an hour and a half.
And if you’ve been wanting to participate in the 20 Minute Club, but have had trouble getting yourself started, this class is the solution.
Come make something new, something you’ve never done before.
(And if you’re wondering if you have the supplies you’ll need to participate, here’s the suggested supply list.)
What Do You Think?
Why do you work in your medium of choice? Are you playing it safe or is does it feel really right? Would you like to try something new?
Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Great article, Sarah… thank you for inspiring some serious thinking about this topic. I suppose I do play it safe. But my choices are now complicated by inflammatory arthritis and the constant battle we’re waging to hold on to my control over my joints; my hands in particular (which makes doing my work ever more challenging).
Truth is, I’m having to make adjustments as it is; not by choice, but by necessity. But because I make certain things that my customers love (and who can complain about that?!), I do find myself spending more time on those items, even at times when I’m feeling excited to branch out and try some other media. And, I’m in the midst of re-thinking my entire business… and dealing with budget constraints while wishing so much that I could open my own brick-and-mortar! I’ve been trying to focus just a bit more on selling supplies and just a bit less on making things to sell. And this is more out of that necessity than anything else (my hands just don’t work the way they used to)… but I’m feeling very positive about the prospects.
That being said, I think it’s actually important that we all occasionally re-examine our focus. The periodic re-evaluation of our work, our goals, and our lives in general can be a very good thing. We may very well tap in to inner talents and passions we’d never have suspected existed within us.
I also find it interesting that sometimes necessity — forcing a re-evaluation of much of what we’d held as sacred — can produce for us (and in us) very positive, amazing changes and exploration.
May we all be blessed with the gifts of curiosity and experimentation in our lives.
Thanks for this post! I know that I’ve been spending too much time making tried-and-true things that I know I can do well, and less time experimenting lately. The main reason is money — I hate having to throw out supplies because I ruined them while trying a new technique or experimenting with a new design. Times being what they are, I can’t always buy more of what I need. Wish there was a way around that — in the meantime I’m always watching for supply sales!
I am enjoying your posts. Each week there is a new lesson to be learned. I started a fabric collage recently and just noticed last week that the fabric I was going to use for the sky was just laying there on my cutting table. I was frantic because I
realized that it might be too late to use it. I’ve already glued down 2 winter trees, a tree stump, bird houses and cat. And, the trees just can’t be removed. So, I’ve decided to use the sky fabric and silhoutte the trees. I knew that I couldn’t just scrap the collage as it is 36″ x 36″ and already there is lots of time put into it.
This week, my granddaughter, Skye, finished her paper collage and she was such an inspiration to me. She had planned to make a large one (18 x 22″) which is a big space for an 11 yr. old. But, she made a smaller collage and it is 9″ x 11″ AND she finished it! She has great creativity and loves to draw!
I appreciate that I was able to create with Skye on Wednesdays this summer. We had a great time and we learned from each other!
I want to reach out and try new techniques. I bought a box of fabric markers yesterday and I will see where that leads.
Happy creating, everyone! Joyce B.