Have you ever gotten bored with the art you create? Have you ever had an idea that was outside the norm of what you usually make? I have! I always enjoy making art, but sometimes I feel like I go a little flat. When I’m uninspired to create what I‘ve been creating, I just have to switch gears. In doing so, I shake off any stagnation I may feel and can breathe new life into my creative process. An old idea becomes new again and unseen perspectives of how I create fine art become unveiled. I can integrate my artistic process with my artistic voice and vision while keeping my fine art exciting. Even though I changed what I am creating, I often look back and see a connection that unifies all my art. I view my artwork as a way to communicate, so even though I may have changed the tone, the voice is still the same. I am still referencing the same themes, just with a different viewpoint or a new approach to a work of art. I feel like I am no longer creative if I am just doing the same old art all the time. I believe we should always be growing and challenging ourselves to create new art. Experimentation should never stop and if you have the urge to try something new, do it. You will only be a better artist because of it.
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When I was 22 and living in New York, I created a work of art and it turned out ugly. I mean, I really didn’t like it and thought it was really horrible. The colors were wrong, the size was wrong, basically everything about it felt wrong. But as I was looking at this terrible work of art something strange happened... I felt ok with it. I didn’t feel sad or bad or disappointed in any way. I simply came to the realization that sometimes you just make ugly artwork and sometimes you just have to accept that the good comes with the bad. You can’t go 100%, 100% of the time. That is how I came to fully believe in what I call the ugly art theory, which basically states, in order to make good or even great art, you must be willing to accept and create ugly or even horrible art. Ever since I adopted this theory into my art-making process, I have never been blocked or upset at what I created, and I appreciate the whole process much more than I did before. I am grateful for the ugly art because what usually follows is that I create a work of art that I love soon after. I just accept the art the way it is and move on from there. It’s that simple. Don’t be afraid or upset about making ugly art, but rather, use that artwork to move you forward in your creative process.
A few months after I had completed my challenge of making two works of art a day for two years, I set up another challenge for myself. I received 52 frames of various sizes from a friend of my parents to paint on. I took them home and realized that I had almost no space to store them. I looked around and said to myself, I really need to paint. Though I had been making two artworks every day, I had not been making paintings every day. I use mostly digital for the two artworks a day challenge. I love digital for various reasons: no dry time for paint, every color instantly, the ability to move/copy objects, and so much more; however I still love painting, drawing, and sculpting. So I thought, will I have a hard time waking up every morning and putting in ten minutes to paint? I had already started waking up early to meditate and journal, so why not try to take an extra ten minutes every morning to see what could happen. What I found out is that I was even more excited than I thought to get that ten minutes to paint, and often I woke up even earlier to put in twenty to thirty minutes. I know it’s not hours a day creating a painting every couple of days, but it is a massive issue that most artists face... life gets in the way, and we allow our priorities to shift into taking care of others and making sure we can survive. We often forget what makes us want to live is making sure we thrive. At the moment, I have put in a minimum of ten minutes a day for almost two years now. I have made forty-five paintings; some big, some small, but all mine. I highly suggest you take just a few minutes in the morning and get your creative needs met. I am willing to bet that you will be surprised with your results.
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