Creativity is a Muscle

I've been a bit remiss in using my studio log.  Simply posting the time I'm spending on my next large piece isn't all that should be going in there.  The  following article has helped me to reset my artistic viewpoint.

Create Every Day – A Guest Post from Aileen Holmes

This is a guest post written by artist Aileen Holmes.  Artwork to the left is one of Aileen’s creations.

As artists, many of us dream of creating large masterpieces and gloriously large scale works.

This is a beautiful and wonderful goal to have, but large dreams can also be a burden.

We question ourselves… “Why haven’t I done this already?”   Or we procrastinate and the empty canvas haunts our days.

Try looking at creativity as a practice and infuse creativity into everyday life.

Creativity is a muscle that needs to be worked out.

Masterpieces don’t spring out of nowhere (well, sometimes but not often!).  Creativity is a lifestyle – It needs to exist in every day life to grow and thrive.

There are simple ways you can exercise your creative muscles:

1.  Carry a small sketchbook and a camera: Capture what catches your eye.  The more you train your eye to look for creative inspiration, the more you will find.

2.   Catalog your inspiration: Whenever I get a new magazine, I go through it and tear out whatever is intriguing.  I tear out poses that I’d like to draw or paint later.   A reservoir of inspiration becomes a resource to turn to over and over again.

3.  Challenge how you approach every day activities: One exercise I like to do is choose a random article of clothing and try to build an all new outfit around it.  Pick a neglected sweater or funky scarf and coordinate a fun look!  When you force yourself to break out of dressing automatically, you learn to look at color and shapes a new way.

4.  Experiment with a new ingredient: Adding spice to your life, whether it’s a new cuisine or learning salsa dancing will open up new avenues of expression.  I like to dig in the back of my spice cabinet and invent a new recipe.  By adding Kahlua to my horchata and adding a pinch of cinnamon, I invented a drink I like to call a “Mexican Russian!”

Opening your eyes to possibilities, collecting inspiration, challenging your viewpoint and experimenting are all ways to work your creative muscles.

When you approach all aspects of life creatively, you Create Every Day.  The more you infuse creativity into every day life, the easier it will be to create your great masterpiece!

Aileen Holmes

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