We can all be artists if we can dare to take some risks and let go of our perceived expectations that we have about creativity and about ourself. We are creative creatures at our core and this permeates our life in various ways. In my own process of art making I have gone through periods of great inspiration and pleasure in this process, however I have found that it usually it takes a dedicated practice and committing to make time for this in life before I notice these positive side effects. Typically great artistic works that satisfy us, unless "downloaded" from a place of higher creativity are a gradual outcome of getting just a little more comfortable with ourself and the material and interacting in a space that provides curiosity, compassion and an openness to making "mistakes". If we can view mistakes as chance happenings that might take our work in a new direction, or completely embedding them into our process, anything becomes possible.
The creative process thrives when we are able to release the parts of ourself that want to control or to produce a beautiful work. Too often we have been taught to approach art making with this attitude. Perhaps we fear judgement from others because we have not been given the permission to let our imagination lead us. This type of conditioning is possible to overcome when we approach art making as a fun, playful opportunity to know ourself better and stay with the process when we run into difficult feelings or fears. In his insightful book Trust the Process, An Artists Guide to Letting Go Shaun McNiff discusses the need for difficulty to arise in the creative process in order to produce something of significance. So welcome the fear, the anxiety, the inner critic. They are showing up to be seen and transformed.
"Setting Sail"
McNiff, Shaun. (1998). Trust the Process, An Artists Guide to Letting Go. Shambhala Publications.
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