TOP 5 TIPS: WHAT I’VE LEARNT AS A CREATIVE (APPLICABLE TO EVERYONE!)
I thought I knew myself well, having done lots of self-development during my employed days . . . . little did I know, I’d only scratched the surface.
My creative journey over the past six years has taught me more than I ever imagined.
If you are seeking a more attuned life or want to open up a gateway to more creativity, keep reading for a look at my Top 5 Tips.
Photo Credit: © T J Allen Art
1. Follow your own path (stay true to you)
They say ‘comparison is the thief of joy’, and I think it is also the ‘robber of creativity’ too.
True artistry comes from the soul and that means that it is born inside of you. Trying to emulate what someone else does will never access the magic that comes from within.
It’s important to learn your own unique style; knowing what you are drawn to, what you like and enjoy doing, what feels good and importantly what feels natural. There will of course be experiments along the way with a few dead-ends and that’s ok …… as long as you are following YOUR path and not blindly attempting to follow someone else’s.
Photo Credit: © T J Allen Art
2. Trust your instincts
Our bodies were built with the most incredible systems to help us out in moments of dilemma and when we don’t pay attention, we are usually left thinking, ‘I knew that was going to happen’.
Creativity for me has become more of a physical process rather than a mental one. I now tune in far more to my instincts, from intuitive nudges to deeper feelings. All of this switches off my analytical brain so I’m not intently ‘thinking’ about what I’m doing, it’s more a case of being ‘guided’ by a natural flow state.
Instincts are very much about putting your ego to one side and learning to tune in and trust the process.
Photo Credit: © T J Allen Art
3. Channel your emotions
Some of the greatest songs were written as a way to capture or work-through certain emotions and when art is created deeply from the heart, it can resonate more strongly with others . . . . which of course is a nice by-product, though it’s not always the intentional or required purpose.
The true gift of creativity, in whatever shape or form that may take for you, is in its therapeutic qualities. Utilising your body and moving emotions around by channelling them into an artistic outlet can be enormously cathartic.
I often say my artworks are self-portraits even though they are pictures of lions or gorillas because to me, I am conveying some sort of message or emotion from my life at that moment in time through the art.
Photo Credit: © T J Allen Art
4. Let inspiration be your guide
I always remember my previous boss saying the phrase, ‘you can’t push water uphill’, and I still think of that quote if I’m ever in a sticky fix. Pushing or trying to force something creates a disharmonious energy which usually results in more resistance.
With creativity, inspiration comes from a lighter, softer approach. I suggest turning off any pressure on yourself because the joy of creation is the most important thing.
When inspiration arrives, the trick is to capture the sparks while they are still alive without analysing what/why/how.
If the signs are there, follow them . . . you never know what’s upstream!
Photo Credit: © T J Allen Art
5. Don’t judge an unfinished masterpiece
When I first started back with my artwork after a seventeen-year absence, my confidence was low and I didn’t have the knowledge of learnt mastery to fully trust the process. I felt extremely anxious about showing anyone the making stages of my work because I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to turn out. I didn’t want or need any outside pressures of judgement weighing down on my already nervous disposition in case I failed which would feel embarrassing. It was only when I’d completed an artwork and was happy with the final look that I was comfortable in showing the stages of how I got there.
The truth in the above is that it wasn’t the judgement of other people that was clouding over me, it was MY OWN!
At times we can be our own worst critics and while it is a psychological mechanism to try and protect ourselves, it is actually doing more harm and hinders our progress.
We are here to learn and grow, to liberate our souls and I can now say with learned wisdom and experience that a work in progress is simply a stepping stone. I’ve actually grown to love seeing and sharing my work in the beginning and middle stages because it makes the transformation all the more inspiring and powerful - for myself and others!
Photo Credit: © T J Allen Art