Where Did My Creativity Go?
The beginning of 2022 somehow became the year of change. I changed my day job, pivoting my career within the healthcare field. My car was giving me trouble so I bought a new car. One of my best friends and I were discussing pay rates and she made significantly more than me but she also had a masters degree. Why can’t I do that too? Oh wait, I can. So I did, sort of. I decided to go back to school to finish my degree (Business Management). Also last year I met my wonderful boyfriend and we’ve been having the time of our lives together. What does all of this have to do with creativity? In going through all of these changes it wiped my slate clean, started a new chapter. Who was I as an artist?
What Creativity Means to Me
Being creative isn’t just about artwork. Creativity influences many parts of life. It’s about thinking outside of the box, coming up with creative solutions. Take an ordinary object and think of all the things you could use it for outside of its intended use. That’s creativity. It sparks ideas and the neurons start firing. Bouncing around at full speed until they crash causing a new thought path. Being creative is like candy for my brain. It satisfies some deep craving. Not feeling inspired is like having a craving for chocolate, there’s none in the house, the store is 20 mins away, and it’s storming outside. Yeah, it’s heavy like that. I felt like there was an itch I couldn’t reach. Before, I didn’t pay much attention to what it was that I was doing that was allowing my creativity to flow so freely. Once I got into the flow state I was gone. My brain turned off the outside world and I got lost in my art. Time has no meaning in the flow state. It’s so meditative being in that mind space. Turns out I just made more space for it before.
Getting Back in the Groove
Daniel and I were having a conversation about how he likes to watch YouTube videos for entertainment, as many people do. I’ve always seen YouTube as more of an informational channel. I didn’t think much of our conversation until one day at work I was not feeling any podcasts or music so I decided to put a YouTube watercolor tutorial on in the background. It was someone who I could stand listening to and his tips and tricks reminded me of things I could be doing in my artwork that I had forgotten about. Then I went down an art rabbit hole. The algorithm was feeding my hungry soul. (This is the whole reason I don’t watch YouTube often, I get sucked in. I made an exception this time though.) After watching these videos I was reminded of something. I was thinking about creativity all wrong. Creativity does not cause action, it is the other way around. Action causes creativity. I just had to do something, anything. Just make dumb doodles, play with my art supplies, search for drawing exercises to try. (Check out some of my favorite drawing exercises here.) Even just watching the videos gave me inspiration to try a few things. The fire slowly started reigniting.
Stepping into the Spotlight
The whole reason I’m recording my journey is because I know that there are other people out there who are struggling to find their own creativity. There are people who discredit themselves. They don’t value their output. Honestly, art is subjective. It really isn’t so much about the image, the product. It’s about what the artist was feeling when they made it, the feeling it evokes from you, and your interpretation of the piece. Stick figures to handmade pieces that look like photographs. It’s all art. If you think a piece is bad or good that is what the piece brought to you. It may bring something else to someone else. Just put yourself out there. This is me putting myself out there. Your interpretation of me is your own.
Here’s What’s Happening Now
Head on over to my journal to stay up to date on what’s happening in my art life. Check out my YouTube for tutorials, creative challenges, product reviews, and more! On Instagram you’ll find the projects I’ve been working on. Find me on Facebook to see what I’ve been up to. Want to take a piece of me home with you? Artwork can be purchased on my shop, Instagram, and Facebook! See you there!
