This week's (very first) CREATIVE prompt...
INTENTION, being more purposeful in your endeavours
INTENTION can bring an awareness to your art as well as more presence in your every day life
You likely have heard about living a life with purpose or living “into your values”, but you can also apply INTENTION to your artistic practice.
Living with intention generally refers to leading a life that is in alignment with your values. This means sometimes re-thinking and reforming old mindsets, being more consistent in your choices and setting yourself up with an actionable plan. While this may not seem relevant to your creative process, I do believe there is a strong overlap. In this post, I discuss and provide tips and tricks (for both the newbie and the more established artist) to help you clarify your intention and perhaps even help you to justify making time and sacred space for creativity.
This is a BIG POST, but I hope you’ll find some helpful take-aways even for those of you who are not practicing their art….yet! For those of you wishing to take your art to the next level, I have even included a downloadable file on how to write an ARTIST STATEMENT.
INTENTION…
The word gets thrown around a lot these days, but INTENTION is a KEY ELEMENT to helping you stay on track with your creative goals as well as actually clarifying a system of habits that may help you to succeed. As James Clear (author of ATOMIC HABITS) explains, this includes taking a look at some of the habits and choices you make daily - that are, as he says “either a vote for, or a vote against the person you want to become”. 1
Whether you are a budding artist, just dabbling or making the transition to a full time career as a creator - it may be helpful to decide from the onset, what direction you want to take, as straddling the line between can lead to a lot of frustration and flailing.
If you are a professional, you may want to examine what KIND of art you are making. Who your audience is for and if you are excited enough for this to be something worth fighting for as a career. If you are already in the weeds as they say, then be sure to exercise self-compassion and give yourself the time and space to grow and evolve as well as dig deep.
See some TIPS below.
For fun, here are a few synonyms that may provide you with deeper understanding of how you may apply INTENTION where it pertains to creativity.
Purpose { This may help you to answer the “why” behind what you choose to create }
Aim { Where will my energy go? }
Objective { OVERALL - big picture} For example: “I want to FEEL better” or, “I want to quit dreaming about making art and start DOING it”, or “I want to look at the world with deeper appreciation”
Goal { Setting a tangible target} For example: 3 paintings this month , or writing everyday, or create 5 minute sketches this weekend
Design { Schedule and map out HOW you are going to achieve these goals} For example: what do you need to tweak in your life to make this happen?
End { Celebrate any achievements you’ve made along the way } Take stock once a month to examine not just how “good” your “product” is, but pat yourself on the back for all of the steps you took to get there.
FOR THE HOBBYIST:
It can be difficult to carve out time for something that seems undervalued as an activity that may bring little to no income. How do you justify making time for creativity when there is so much to do at home or in life, or with friends, family or work.
Sometimes it is a challenge to communicate your needs to those around you who may not understand. As a society we need to reframe the way we think about the arts. It is not just a select few people who can enjoy this as a pastime. Creating is part of our human need. As much as our body needs to move to stay healthy or we need to read to keep mentally fit - we need creativity (of any kind) to tap into joy, play and awe. If you are making a habit of dismissing this need to create try this exercise:
PROMPT: This week take time to write down the following to help clarify your INTENTION to create
How does being creative make me feel? Alive, happy, curious, engaged, inclusive?
What are 3 (or more) positive benefits gain from creating?
What are some of the external forces that keep me from creating?
What are some of the ways I may be self-sabotaging my creative time?
How can I make more time for creating? If this is your biggest hurdle (read the next tip!)
Where can I steal more time? TIP: Discover some sneaky ways to (emotional and physical) space and time to create. This may be choosing to commute on a bus instead of driving to work. This may mean busting out a small notebook waiting at an appointment. This may be just taking photos with your phone.
FOR THE EMERGING OR PROFESSIONAL: (scroll down for a downloadable guide to writing your ARTIST STATEMENT)
INTENTION is absolutely essential in creating flow and clarity in creating times to work, space to create and setting clear boundaries in your family life. Let people know you are off limits at the moment. It’s ok to have this sacred YOU time.
You’ll also want to take time and set an intention as what your art means and how that intersects with YOU as a person (perhaps via writing an artists statement). This It also will help with how you represent yourself on social media.
If you plan on taking your art to the next level you need to embody the actions of a professional artist. You need to ensure you set enough time aside each day or week to really hone your skills. Whether you really want to learn how to paint rippling water, or animal for or become an expert portrait artist, we must give ourselves ample opportunity to really explore, problem solve, grow and most importantly make mistakes for the sake of really understanding and rendering the subject well. For example, regardless of the strength of your skills, if you are constantly shifting mediums or subjects and regularly experimenting in styles, you may never truly give yourself the opportunity to hone in on, or really become proficient at any one subject. It takes a lot of intention and discipline to stick with ONE thing (at least for a while) until you feel you can move on.
Make your intentions clear BEFORE you get in front of your easel: Do you have a target or goal in mind or are you just playing? Rather than starting off with one mindset and ending up in another (in the middle of your process), be clear BEFORE you get in front of your easel. Your canvas (or paper) will reflect back to you exactly where your mind was (and how many times you changed it). Be clear on the aesthetic, style, narrative. What is your north star here?
PS, playing is absolutely A-ok. We need to give ourselves permission to do this from time to time as well.
Prompt: Paint or draw with purpose rather than impulse and habit
In my MASTRIUS mentor group we’ve covered this topic extensively.
I want to set you up for success, so I came up with a system that may be helpful to you before you put brush to paper or canvas.
4 P’s for INTENTIONAL PAINTING MINDSET:
1. Percolate: Create space (and set aside TIME) for ideas to bubble up. Research other artists works to help clarify the style or language, medium or even the types of brushstrokes you want to use
2. Plan Decide what surface? What medium? What style? Maybe practice with a sketch or create a study
3. Prepare ( get all of your tools ready, lighting, reference photos, sketches ,create a sacred space and TIME)
4. Presence Be mindful and intentional with each stroke. Be present. Try not to rush. Enjoy and give reverence to this sacred time and your subject matter.
Remember, your intention may change over time and, this will take some practice and consistency.
Warmly,
Crystal Beshara