Are you wanting to make art and can’t figure out where to start? To create art “work,” you must begin by learning how to play at art. Most people start with new supplies they aren’t familiar with and have a strong need not to make any mistakes. Then add in that big question, “Am I any good at this?” and you have a lot of stress but no play…and no joy.
Watch documentaries, read biographies, or talk to your local town artist. The more playful and free you can be with what you are doing, the better you will create. Artists can spend hours, days, weeks, or even months on a piece of art. They each have their own practices to keep themselves loose in the zone of creativity, playfulness, and inspiration. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran artist who has hit a dry patch in your creativity, these steps work. How To Learn To Be An Artist When You Think You Aren’t Creative
None of them are complex, but they all need consistency. If you wait till you feel like you’ve hit a blank wall of expression and ideas, you’ve waited too long. All artists have their practices to keep them fresh and inspired. You’ll often find an exceptional, creative person doing playful, childlike practices to keep their inspired world new and genuine. Try several things. With time, you will find your own version of each of these.
Most artists have things they do to warm up to working on their latest piece of magic. They find things that don’t require much concentration and worry. They look for things they can do that are creative and maybe even pretty to look at, but they don’t have to be perfect or fussy.
They have inexpensive supplies that they can play with. If they turn into something they want to keep, that’s awesome! Otherwise, throwing them away or recycling them is no problem. The point is that it feels free, fun, creative, and even silly.
This is a great place to start if you are new to creating things. You won’t be worried about wasting supplies. You won’t think about what you will do with it afterward. You won’t worry about whether anyone thinks it’s good. It doesn’t even matter if you think it’s good. All there is to think about is how fun it was and if you want to make another one.
Some people like their art to involve supplies and techniques similar to those they are used to working with in their projects. For example, a painter might play with a palette knife instead of a brush, or someone could learn to paint with a brush and play with finger paints.
Others like to play with something different. For instance, a person who wants to learn watercolor might play with clay to get their creativity going. Whatever is fun and playful to you is an excellent choice for you. Some of these may seem too simple or even juvenile. But we are going for that free, fun, no-care way you created as a child. These can be some cool things to play with sometimes:
It’s always interesting to ask an artist where they get their inspiration. The answer is usually whimsical and dreamy. Some will talk about nature, such as trees and butterfly wings. Some will speak of their daughter’s smile or their cat sitting in the window. They are referring to something…a line…a curve…, or a color—that makes them want to recreate the feeling it gives them. How To Learn To Be An Artist When You Think You Aren’t Creative
Start looking around your world. Where do you see color, shape, and whimsy? Where do you feel connected to the earth? What makes you smile? These are the things that inspire us humans. You might be inspired to paint that sunset, so take a picture with your phone and ponder it with a brush and canvas later. The silhouette of your cat lying on the back of the couch might be fascinating in how it curves and moves. See if you can draw it.
Then find healing whimsical ways to start over if that first try (or second…or third) doesn’t quite work as you hoped. As is said in Neurolinguistic Programming, “There is no failure…Just feedback.” So, how would you like to stop and try again? Find a way that feels like a new toy, a new beginning, not just “starting over.
One of our favorite local artists was known for having purple, blue, and green smoke from his chimney. When asked about it, he explained that he often threw painted canvases into his fireplace. He said it wasn’t out of angst or frustration. He said it felt like releasing clearing and helped him be ready to start again. (NOTE: Don’t try this at home, kids. Paint can be very toxic when heated. Luckily, he is in his 80’s and still kicking)
In the movies, people always go for a walk to clear their heads and get a better perspective. It works that way with creativity. Nature is a lovely place to learn how to play at art and witness how playful art can be.
Notice that in nature, there are no straight lines. Nothing is exactly perfect, and that is what makes it perfect. Notice how the colors come over the horizon, and study how clouds shape themselves differently from hour to hour.
If you’re a city kid, notice the cracks in the sidewalk and the way the leaves gather against the curb. Acknowledge the way the sun reflects off the windows and the car windshields. Notice the sounds of the city, just like you would listen to the birds and the squirrels and the rustling of leaves in the woods. How To Learn To Be An Artist When You Think You Aren’t Creative
Let these be your inspiration for how life makes art out of light and dark, soft and hard, sound and silence. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t even have to be pretty. Play at the art of line, texture, sound, and light. Gather your 5-year-old self and look at everything with new eyes. This is how you see things as an artist and find the mindset to play at art.
It is very popular for writers and artists to share what they listen to while they create. This can be very interesting to know about someone when you admire their work. But what is your soundtrack? What motivates you to make something, create something, and inspire you to keep going? Some people like music with no words, so their heads are clear of meanings. Others like words that touch their heart to pull out what else is in their being. Some have different genres for different pieces. Whatever feels genuine to you and touches your soul is the soundtrack for your creative juices. It’s another layer of playing at art.
Look through your playlist, flip through Pandora, or gather your favorite vinyl and get that turntable spinning. Play, dance, create, rinse, repeat.
One of the biggest reasons people find it hard to play at art is that they are confused about creating, practicing, and art “work.” The three are very different and have three separate purposes.
Art “Work”
Creating something can be a great deal of physical work, requiring hours of time and effort. That is art’s “ work.” It requires brain cells to figure things out and make things work together. Sometimes, research is needed to get technique and perspective right. Making stuff can be frustrating and tiring but can also be restoring and rewarding. You are working to achieve a particular result and a specific plan. No matter where you start, it will get easier with time, and…you will get better. How To Learn To Be An Artist When You Think You Aren’t Creative
Then, there is practice. You get better at anything by practicing. Practicing means trying new things and being ok if they go absolutely wonky. This practice is discovering what works for you and what doesn’t. After that comes realizing how to make it better next time. Many will tell you about “happy accidents” where they tried to make “this” and accidentally made a “that” they make. You get more skilled and able to make your tools do what you want them to do with practice.
Then there is “creating.” Of course, practicing and making art involves creating. But there is also just creating for creating’s sake. There is getting your hands dirty while feeling the texture of the clay, paint, or…whatever at your fingertips. It’s watching the facets in the crystals you just picked out to make a piece of jewelry. It could be doodling with colored pens, just to see what happens. Creating is pure fun and freedom. You play and play, start over, and play some more. There is no purpose in pure creativity other than feeling the joy of what is in front of you.
Don’t confuse these three. There is a time to work. It’s a place to pay attention to what you are doing and get your technique right. It’s a pleasure to find the joy of getting something out of your head and into the light where others can see it. Then, there is the need to practice, with the freedom to try new things, make mistakes and try again. Finally, there is creating and the joy of playing. Imagine a child building with sand or a baby looking at its toes for the first time.
The more you can allow yourself the joy of how to play at art, the easier it is to practice. The more play and practice you do, the easier it will be to make what it is that you are hoping to make to express your inspiration. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t put too much pressure on content or outcome. To create artwork, allow yourself to play at art. You will be amazed at what shows up by your hand and what is genuinely in your heart. Loosen up and play. You’ve got this!
We’ve used these little Pixi-Pebbles to move ourselves from a feeling we’re not enjoying very much…to a feeling that helps us discover our vision of intention, awareness, and direction.
They lead us to hope, possibilities, and a fire under our butt to live life by design instead of default.
In our blog, 5 Fun Ways-How To Play At Art Instead Of Making It So Hard, here is a Pixi-Pebble that came to mind…
Just a little inspiration to get you from here to there…
4k videos are one of the ways we find inspiration to create and play art. Here is one of our favorites from Lullaby Of Nature…The Smoky Mountains.
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