August Creative Reset

August 4, 2023

I have been struggling since college to regain my creative voice, but this is the year that I really want to change that. I know that it is not going to happen overnight but I want to take small steps every month for the rest of the year to move toward creative freedom again. So in order to keep myself accountable, I am here, letting you in on ways I am going to be working this month.

I am going to start with things that I am doing well:

This blog! This is a great way to get my creative juices flowing. I love this blog and I love finding things that I want to write about and share my opinions on. This blog, up until this point, has just been for me. I am using it as a creative release and a way that I can express myself. I am very proud of this blog and the way I have begun to write more regularly.

Spending time on Pinterest and Instagram with intention. I am not always intentional with my time on either of those apps, but I am trying to make sure I follow artists, of every medium, that I feel drawn to. This is important to the creative process because all of art is stealing ideas from other things. Whether this be from another artist, from a design you saw on a bedspread in target last week, from the light poking through the trees, from the pattern on your pets coat, from the color of a water bottle you saw on public transit etc. this is not to say that you should be stealing art. Please please PLEASE do not steal art from anyone. Steal ideas from them, steal mediums from them, steal inspiration from them, but do not copy the art completely.

Taking pictures of things that I am inspired by in daily life. I have been taking a lot of pictures of the mountains lately ( because I just moved to Colorado ) and the way the sun hits the homes on the foothills, and the sunsets on the clouds. I am excited about the beautiful environment around me and excited to continue to find things I love in it.

The things I am going to work on this month:

I am going to start carrying a sketchbook around with me again. I used to do this all the time and I am excited to start working in a sketchbook more again. It is a great way to get things out of your mind and onto paper even if it isn’t perfect. I have a hard time with creating things that aren’t the way that I want them to look. I think this is what has stunted my creativity lately; I feel like everything I create has to be incredible and show-my-dad worthy, but it doesn’t. There is a lot to creating that isn’t just in the perfect piece to show off to friends and family and I know that in my head, but sometimes my heart has a little bit of a time catching up.

I am going to dedicate time to spend, either in my sketchbook, or making a piece, each week. I would love to be able to spend 5 to 10 hours a week on it, but I do think that is a bit of a long shot. I am not sure I can go back into creating with that much dedication right away.

I am going to allow myself to make ugly art. Again, this is something I know I have struggled a lot with, but I think it is time that I allow myself to not feel like I have to make gorgeous pieces every time.