Month 11: Embrace Where You Are

JOURNAL

Wherever you are is where you need to be.

No one starts out as an expert. The artists you admire have spent years honing their craft. The beauty about a creative practice is that you will continue to improve as you practice. Allow yourself to just begin and to show up at whatever level you are currently at. Part of the practice is releasing expectations. Showing up for your creative practice will help you to get in touch with your thoughts and feelings. It can help you to release stress and be present in the moment. The more you show up the better you will get, and the more you will learn about yourself along the way.

All Humans Are Creative

Creativity is a human trait. Many people don’t think of themselves as creative. That is because they are comparing themselves to the Masters or to other creative professionals. Yes, it is true that we will not all be creative to that level, however that does not take away from the creativity that is at the core of who we are individually. Human creativity has helped us to evolve, to solve problems, to think outside the box and find new solutions, and to express our thoughts and feelings throughout time.

Humans are innately creative beings. Tapping into that creative potential inside of ourselves can be rewarding. It is true that we all might not be the next great artist or inventor, but we all can benefit from practicing and nurturing our inner creativity.

Give yourself permission to make ugly art!

Everything you create will not be beautiful. A lot of it might be down right ugly! That is absolutely the case for me. Embrace it. Allow yourself to push through the expectation to create something lovely. Continue playing. Continue following your curiosity. As you go, here and there, you will likely create a mixture of art that you love and art that is not exactly what you want to share with the world. Both are wonderful. Both are beneficial expressions of you, of where you are.

I have found that allowing myself to create ugly art has been freeing. It allows me to be in the moment and to focus on the benefits I am getting from the creative process. It allows me to relax, to experience, to tune into my senses as I create rather than focusing on the end result of what I am creating. Plus it can be downright fun just to make a mess!! So glob the paint on. Explore texture, color mixing, shapes, and patterns without fear! Ugly art is a great way to let go and play. Don’t worry about wasting supplies because there is value in the process.

Ugly art can also be repurposed.

  • Cut it up for collage papers

  • Gesso over it and start fresh

  • Add layers and keep building

  • Put it aside and revisit it another day… It might spark new ideas

  • It is also fine to release it… toss it out if you want.

There are no rules and there is no wrong way to explore your creativity. You are always learning about yourself as you create. You are always learning new skills that can be used in other projects. Sometime you are even learning what not to do. It all has value.

Month 11 Prompts

Art-Break

Blind Contour Drawing with your non-dominate hand. For this one you will need to choose something you want to draw from observation. You could even set up a simple still life display to draw. For the one above I believe I used some shells. Using your non-dominate hand you will draw what you are looking at without looking at your paper. Pretend your hand is connected to your eyes and as your eyes trace the contour of the object you have chosen to draw your hand will move across your paper. No cheating! Don’t look at your paper until you have finished.

Creating in this way is a great practice in releasing expectations. For most of us, when we wright or draw in this way the result will be somewhat messy. We know this going in, so it is easy to allow it to be messy or ugly without judgement. As you move through your practice try tapping into this feeling whenever possible.

Once you have completed your drawing, go back in and play with the lines and shapes you created. Try adding color or thickness to some of the lines. Play with the interesting shapes you made. Let your curiosity lead the way!

Reflection

  • Take a moment to reflect on how it feels to release expectations in your art. How does it feel to give yourself permission to make ugly art?

  • What does it mean to you to show up where you are in your creative practice? What does that look like for you?

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“Embrace the glorious mess that you are..”

Elizabeth Gilbert