Just Be You

 December 13, 2016

Just Be You

            I feel like we live in a cookie cutter world that’s so mass-produced and fabricated. Where everything seems to be based off the same blueprint and lacks creativity. Which is a culture all artists should not conform to because it can damage their originality. Finding your voice and unique essence is what makes you an artist. It’s the core value of your creativity because it separates you from the crowd. We all have our own personality that makes us who we are. The different aspects is what helps create our character. As creative individuals we should be embracing those features in our creativity. Taking the force in us to create beautiful works of art that reflect ourselves. The art we create should be a reflection of our emotions, character, and personality. The only way you’ll be good at anything is to put yourself in it. Just be you and don’t pay any attention to what others might say to condemn you.

            Over the past few months I have given helpful tips on how to be artistically creative. Offering any helpful advice that can motivate people to expand their imagination. Creativity can’t be taught but it can be developed. That’s because every single person has it instilled inside of him/her. We’re all born with the ability to be creative. Expressing ourselves through the art we create. Which is why it’s essential that we embrace our individuality. Follow your own path and do what makes you happy. If there’s one thing you remember from these blogs is to embrace your own individuality. To just be you and don’t let anything ever change that. You are creative and unique in your own way.

Get Curious?

 December 6, 2016

Get Curious?

            Any great idea has to start with curiosity, ask yourself what am I curious about? What’s that tiny voice inside your heading saying to you? We might ask ourselves what excites us about creating. It’s those moments that lure us to develop great ideas. When we get curious our mind becomes susceptible to our creativity. Which is why it’s important to always stay hungry for the things that question us. When curiosity ponders our mind its essential to act on it. So you can put your questioning ideas into motion. This way we learn, develop, and create new things from nothing. Allowing our imagination to take over during those moments to help expand our creativity. Its what fuels our creative drive to keep us intensifying our imagination. Ultimately our curiosity is what our creativity derives from.

One issue I want to address that holds people back from their curiosity is fear. Which is very common amongst artists including myself. Fear is what kills your ideas and interest. For example, what obstructs my curiosity sometimes is my perfectionism. I think too much about the idea and how to perfect it. When I should be creating the idea without caring about the outcome. Just allowing my imagination and creativity to take ahold on me. Overthinking can ruin some of the best ideas. A good word of advice to take into consideration for any creative person is to not overthink. Don’t contemplate your ideas and questioning for whatever reason. And continue to think about the possibilities of your ideas. What can you do to expand on those ideas to make them better? It’s our curiosity that will drive our imagination to do great things. Be sure to stay curious and don’t be afraid to act on it.

Change your scenery

 November 30, 2016

Change your scenery

            Sometimes being crouched around your desk is not fun. Believe it or not, our environment plays a role in our creativity. Which is why it’s important that we keep our environment organized and clean. However, that’s not really my point of this blog. What I want to address is that we have to understand that there are lots of things that inspire our work. Which includes the environment that we live in or accommodate to. It can be the beautiful landscape you have right outside your back yard, the tall skyscrapers that tower over your city. And the ghetto run-down streets that no one cares about. Whatever it may be, we draw inspiration from the places we adapt to. Sometimes changing your scenery can do a lot for your creativity and give you new inspiration.

            When I’ve spent hours at my desk drawing and editing photos. I like to take a break and walk around outside for a while. By doing this, I am able to rest my brain for a moment and gain inspiration by what’s outside. Luckily I live right next to some gorgeous mountains. Nature and beautiful scenery always gives me motivation for anything. Sometimes I walk around with my camera to snap a few pictures for ideas. If I were to offer any creative person some advice is to change your scenery. Take a few minutes out from your day to get connected with what’s around you. Take a walk down the street or a park that’s nearest to you. When we change our scenery we become susceptible to the things around us.

Revisit Your Childhood

 November 25, 2016

Revisit Your Childhood

            As a child most of didn’t care about what we did. We didn’t care about what we looked like, our success, or anything in that nature. All we really cared about was having fun and being creative. That’s exactly how we should all be when it comes to our creativity. The problem is that many of us become more logical as we get older. Which is okay because it’s normal, it’s all part of becoming an adult. Our Judgment is important but if it comes in too early it can hinder our creativity. The best way to overcome this problem is to think less. Put yourself in the shoes of when you were a child. Think about the reactions and emotions you had about creating something. When we think less were able to create more than judging our actions. When we revisit our childhood we’re able to become inspired and excited.

            When I was a child I would say that my favorite thing in the world was playing with Legos. I loved being able to create and build things from my imagination. There was no plan or guide to help me during this process. I guess I would say that all my ideas were driven from my enthusiasm. In a way this is exactly how we should approach our creative thinking. We should be excited about what we’re creating. And think less about the outcome; sometimes our greatest ideas come from this approach. A good exercise for this is to draw on a piece of paper with your eyes closed. This will train you to think less so you cannot make any judgments until the drawing is finished. When we think less about our actions and allow our imagination to take over, great things will happen.

Rest

November 16, 2016

Rest

            From my previous blog I talked about the importance of working hard. As much as its important to work hard. It’s also important to rest; the reason why I say that is because we can become drained creatively. I can talk from experience where there have been times I have burned myself out. As creative people we get caught up in our work. I understand that most of us are very passionate about what we do. That sometimes can hinder our ability to rest and concentrate on other things. There have been moments where I neglected sleep, eating, and socializing with family and friends. It’s extremely important that we do not forget about our physical needs, such as food and sleep. Make sure you are getting the rest you need to fuel your creative drive.

            One way I trained myself to take breaks when I’m working is to set a time. Set a specific time aside that will allow you to get away from your work. That time should be used to relax, eat, exercise, and spend time with family. Nothing should be geared towards your work or anything else related. For example, anytime I am working on a project, like a graphic design logo. I primarily give myself anywhere from 2-3 hours of work time. After that time is spent I take a one-hour break from my work to relax. When we take breaks it allows us to gain more momentum. So when we go back to our work we are more focused and productive. Resting is very much needed for our creativity. Be sure you are giving yourself enough downtime so you can become more strong-minded.