The creative process it a beautiful one that is experienced by both the creator and their audience. However, if the creator isn't creating, then there isn't any work to be admired. A simple fix to this is to consistently engage in the creative process. In this blog post, I will be sharing a few tips on how to be consistent as an artist.
Define Consistency For Yourself
I know that the word consistency has it's own meaning, but for the sake of this blog post, I am going to ask you to redefine consistency to meet your own life's goals. Consistency can be daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, yearly, every other week, etc. For me, consistency is every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Everyone has their own definition of what consistency looks like for their line of work. How does that look for you?
Have A Purpose
When it comes to creating, having a purpose gives meaning to your work. It sets the tone for your work and answers the infamous who, what, when, where, why, and what of your work. When you are in the midst of a project, take time to ask yourself what it is that you are creating and why you are creating it. Even if the work is symbolic to you and only you, it is ideal to know what you are doing while you do it.
Communicate Your Goals With Others
Tell others what you are doing, let those close to you know your creative goals as a support system. When you tell your support system about your goals, you are building a web of accountability. You know those times when your mom sees you working on a paper for school, and a few days later, she comes you and asks you, "how's that paper going?"; that's what I'm referring to.
Find The Right Community
In addition to communicating your goals with others, you should also look for other communities that consist of like-minded individuals who's purpose is to uplift one another. There are tons of online communities and forums filled with welcoming and supportive individuals who are just waiting to welcome you with open arms. One such group is our Drawing 101 | Learn To Draw Group on Facebook.
Decide On A Project
Remaining creative can be hard, especially when you lack direction. To get you in the right mindset, let's start by deciding on a project that you are genuinely passionate about. I am not talking about those projects that you look at and say, "Ouu, I should try that one day." I mean, the projects that you can actually see yourself engaging in and enjoying no matter how minimal the overall complexity of it is. You do not need to work on some elaborate creation to get joy from your craft, so pick something that you are willing to follow through with and get to it.
Prioritize
Make sure you pencil in art into your schedule. When you prioritize your craft, you are essentially saying that "my work is worth my time." Once your work becomes a priority for you, it will be easier to make time to create because it becomes apart of your regular to-do list. For example, my daily priorities (aside from my family obligations) consist of working on my blog, drawing, managing my facebook group, working on a webcomic, studying, and writing a book. Yes, it may seem like a lot, but I prioritize and schedule everything into my day so that I can do what I need to do without feeling overwhelmed or burned out.
Take It Slow
Now, there is no need to bust out your planner and fill up our schedule with 101 projects. Take it slow, work on the things that excite you the most, give those projects your full attention, and as you reach the end, or once you are ready, begin adding more work to your load. Be mindful not to overload yourself. The more you work on at once, the more likely you will become overwhelmed and drop everything, and that isn't something we want now, is it?
Make It A Habit
It is said that a habit takes 21 days to form, so let's make creativity a habit! For 21 days straight, be creative. Draw, write, sculpt, craft, allow your mind to run wild! Finding 21 consecutive days to create will let you get into the habit of doing work that is meaningful to you and will allow you the peace of mind to work on something that you genuinely enjoy doing. Follow your passions, making them a habit is the first step.
Find Inspiration
Often times, when we work on a project, it is because we are inspired to create. My favorite thing to do for creativity if to scroll through Pinterest and look for inspiration. More often than not, I will find works from other artists that I can reference and enhance the quality of my own work. As a creator, my process consists of a ton of visualization and planning beforehand. When you are inspired, your art can transform into a marvelous piece.
Create A Special Place
Having somewhere that you can do to create is essential, especially when you are taking your craft seriously. As a creator, it is nice to have a designated area or space that is comfortable and where you can incorporate all the points listed in this blog post as a means to becoming more consistent as an artist. For me, I have a drawing desk in my room that I frequent, I also have a space on the floor and on the couch of my living room that occasionally spends time in whenever I am in the mood to create but want to be out of my room.
Take Your Work With You
If you have a portable project, take it with you. This is not ideal for those with large or intro kit projects. But it is an excellent idea for those who have more compact and less involved works like writing or drawing where they can bring along a sketchbook, notebook pencil, and pen, or even a computer if the location allows so that they can work on their medium while they wait. Since my projects are all compact, I like to bring them along for long car rides (when I'm not driving of course), to places where I know that I am going to have to sit and wait, or even to a coffee shop while I enjoy an iced chai latte.
1 Comments
Simple, helpful and to the point. Thank you for this article!
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