If you are like me, creative energy can run a low sometimes. It can be a little lonely in the studio, and in this world of distractions we can lose track of our artistic purpose and focus.
It might surprise you to discover that writing (or re-writing) your reasons why can re-energize your creative spirit. And it doesn’t have to be a daunting task! (Who needs to feel more overwhelm?!)
Get to a quiet place for a few minutes and consider these questions. Write several thoughts in answer to them and you have the basis for a personal artist’s statement.
1. What do you love? What inspires an emotional response in you? It may be nature, or architecture, it could be color or simply shapes – you can see that there’s no end to the possibilities of what attracts your attention!
2. How does this inspiration inform what you create? What genre particularly interests you? Do you notice that your work seems to always include or come back to a particular subject or feeling? Do you find particular connection to work of an era or an artist? Do you see those elements coming into your own work?
3. Is there a particular medium that you most often use? What do you like about it (or if there are multiple media, why those?) It could be graphite or paint; oil or acrylic or watercolor. It could be clay or collage; there are limitless possibilities!
4. What do you hope to convey to the viewer? Perhaps it is the “feeling” of what your subject evokes for you, or maybe a message you want to express. Maybe you want to bring about an action or understanding, or a response of joy and delight.
Thinking about these 4 questions and writing down some thoughts give you a little more clarity for what your purpose is in the studio and the things your art brings to the world. Using your thoughts write a short summary of what inspires you, how it informs what you do artistically, the media that you love, and what you want to give to the viewer. You’ll help other feel more connected to you as an artist and the work you do.
Artists need to do this from time to time because life changes, our skills change, our focus changes. Solidifying our personal clarity about why we create can re-energize our studio work and helps us to stay focused in a very distracting world.
Oh, and I love encouraging artists in their creative journey. I also love the encouragement I get from others… we all need it! Let’s connect, artist to artist! Click here to be included and download some artistic tips for joining me. You’ll also be getting a weekly visit in your inbox with fun tips, inspiration, inspiring reviews, and peeks into my studio work. I love to have dialog with you, too! You won’t be inundated, but you will be encouraged!
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© Helen C Read
Photo credit: sixteen Miles Out
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular article! Its the little changes that produce the largest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!