The gift of creativity

Creative freedom is a gift

Sometimes I will post a quick note on my Instagram feed and it will give me an idea for writing to you all. A while back I snapped this picture and I wrote "This is one of my favorite items. My grandpa made this spool holder for my grandmother's sewing room. I remember staring at it when I went to sleep in that room when I visited them. It now is in my studio, reminding me of the creativity that flows from each generation to the next. It's like a gift that keeps expanding and growing, each generation builds on the challenges, freedoms and vulnerability that the past generations have opened up for us."

I was lucky enough to have a family that supported my creativity in many ways. My Grandfather was a woodworker and I have many of his pieces in my home. My father painted with oils and I remember thinking he was he could make anything because he was always coming up with ideas on how to fix things or make interesting creations. In the summer when I would declare "I'm bored!!" He would drive me to the craft store and we would stand in the isle saying "what do you want to make?".

Giving a person, especially at a young age PERMISSION to have creative expression is so important. It's a way for us to share a deep part of ourselves with the world and get what's inside of us out. It feeds our soul. And passing down that freedom is truly a gift.

What gifts have you given your kids or have you been given? Did someone teach you how to write, bake, crochet or dance? It may have been a teacher, mentor or friend. Maybe your parents weren't supportive of your creative aspirations. Maybe you've had to fight to free yourself from rules of what "art" should be. Maybe you're still working on letting yourself explore that side of your soul. The more vulnerability you can access in this lifetime, the more of yourself you will be able to share with the world and the more free the next generation will be.

Like the generations before us fought for civil liberties, some of our parents and grandparents had to work against pressures of social norms to reach the depths of their expression. Sometimes I have students in my class who's parents are designers or artists. It can be incredible to see the amount of knowledge and freedom they have in creating. I honestly get a little jealous of friends who's parents or grandparents were free spirited artists, writers or thinkers. They have an ease in the way they are able to get into an open mode and express themselves.

But, it's never too late to step into your legacy. Push yourself past your self-induced boundaries and explore what you are drawn to. It will be rewarding for you, but also for your children, students or friends. I don't have kids but finding this freedom in myself and then sharing what I know with my students is one of the most rewarding things in my life.

Who can you give the gift of creativity to? How can you give that gift to yourself and begin to share it?

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FINDING YOUR CREATIVE VOICE SEATTLE WORKSHOP

Do you live in the Seattle area? My next in-person workshop is October 21st - just a few weeks away! These workshops are so much fun, it's like a play-date for your Inner Artist!  

No art experience necessary! Open to beginners or advanced students. You will use techniques such as collage, drawing, journaling and painting in a safe, fun environment. Learn more about this workshop here! 

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What I learned by drawing the same thing for 100 days

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This summer I jumped into The 100 day Project. This was started by Elle Luna & The Great Discontent as a way to create ANYTHING for 100 days and share on Instagram what we have made. It was a way to love the PROCESS of making and not so much about the goal of creating one beautiful thing. 

We all know that if we want to learn something new or improve our skills we HAVE to do one thing: KEEP DOING IT. I’ve always struggled to keep a sketchbook consistently, so this project helped immensely. My project was to create lettering and a food illustration every day. You can see my Instagram feed here.

Here is what I learned while in the process:

1. DONT’  TRY TO DO TOO MUCH AT ONCE

When giving myself a goal - I always try to do TOO much. I wanted to include all of the things that I love to draw in my daily drawings - food - lettering - pattern AND I was trying to draw a whole meal. This proved to be fine on some days and overwhelming on other days when I didn’t have enough time. Later I kept it simple and chose certain vegetables and fruit with lettering. 

My advice: don’t take on more than you can chew, start with something simple, because you don’t want to feel overwhelmed and give up. The key is to choose something SUSTAINABLE.

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2. THINK DIFFERENTLY 

I don’t know about you, but as a creative person I get BORED. This assignment forced me to figure out new and exciting ways to create lettering or to layout my illustrations. This lead to some very interesting new work and ways of working. Coming up with new solutions to problems is what we do as creative people and having a practice that FORCES you to think differently is invaluable.

My advice: Don’t be afraid to try something new - that’s the whole point of creating! The question, "What would happen if I did THIS?" is one of the most important questions we can ask and helps us enjoy this process. One idea leads to another, leads to another and pretty soon you have a whole new way of working!

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3. GET INTO A ROUTINE

At first as you can imagine, it’s exciting to begin a project like this and you are full of energy and ideas. But after a couple weeks, I started to get a bit bored and anxious. But something else happened. It became AUTOMATIC. I knew I had to finish an illustration a day, so I would keep my sketchbook handy and whenever I had time (on the train, doctors office, etc.) I would start sketching. And guess what? I STILL do it even after the project is over. They say it takes about 21 days to create a habit, making creativity a habit is the ONLY way to improve our skills.

My advice: Just do it! Whatever it is that you want to start or get better at, the only way you ever will is if you practice. Don’t be afraid of how bad you are, just keep working at it, day after day.

This project was such a great experience, I learned so much, met wonderful people and came away with new artwork and illustration gigs.  Thanks to everyone who joined in!

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