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Survival mode
Constant working to pay bills. Taking the kids to school. Avoiding one
disaster from another. For me, it's constant moving. Never having a home to stay
in. Never a place to settle, continual moving of physical belongings, ongoing
search for stability. For some it's battling health. Whatever it is, it affects
our creativity.
Death of loved one
This one is hard to write about. It goes along with the next on the list
below about not feeling like giving when what you have is taken away from you.
But it could be a reason that hinders creativity. Learning to turn that into
your perception of the world may not really be as hard as you think.
Loss of relationship
Creating comes from expressing yourself. When a part of you is taken away or not
there for whatever reason, life is pretty hum-drum and you don't feel like
creating. The ability to turn that hum-drum into something creative is another
story, like how you feel without that someone there. Expressing a feeling. That
is creativity overcoming it's odds.
No connection with art world
Seems like a no-brainer, but truly, how many people around you do not share
the same connection, whether love and relationships, how you view life, or
simply liking the same thing in art that you do? What artistic influences do you
have? Who is pushing you to excel at your dreams? Signing up for the painting
template newsletter below can be a start. This site is meant to deal with all
the concerns one would have about creating, and more and more will slowly be
added that help inspire that art world connection.
No time for creativity
This could be part of living in constant survival mode above, or it could be
just no effort to take direction and action for the things you truly want out of
life. Somewhere you have to make time for recharging and enjoying life. This
allows you to have more open thoughts of creativity when you "know" you can have
creative time to go to. Being at work, constantly on-call, or stuck in survival
mode keeps you from allowing creativity in your life, and to really focus.
Unsupportive/toxic people in your life
Instead of just getting rid of people in your life that aren't supporting you,
TELL them you want their support. Also be ready to exchange support for them and
try to find solutions that work for the both of you for a rewarding
relationship. If your goals are just both different, you might think of finding
and keeping only the positive support around you, or lessen the amount of time
you spend with those opposing your ideals, even if family members.
Notice I say "lessen" that amount of time. Family is still family, but you can
keep relating to a minimum where friction is low and relating is high by the
amount of time you give to what's encouraging. But for the focus, try to keep
people in your life that are going a positive supportive same direction you are
going. Don't have a direction? Think about what is is you want for your life to
be rewarding and well meaningful with purpose.
I used to think it didn't matter who you have
around you, to accept anyone that just happens to be there, rather than choose
who you will relate with most., as I thought "I" could be the influence and
supportive one. Well it goes both ways. Your environment affects you. What goes
in, comes out. If you have people around you dragging you down just by their
viewpoint as well as their actions that don't further you toward a better life,
rethink why they are there in your life.
Supportive people, but that don't have the same
interest
Some people in your life just do not have that same interest about art you do,
but are very meaningful connections. Those people can still enrich your life in
other ways, but find an addition of those that truly have an inspiration and
artistic energy that will empower you to doing great things beyond what you
thought you could. It means little when people say about your art, "Oh, that's
nice, you're talented," but change the subject to someone else, "Can I have a
cigarette?"
It means more when people tell you how your art has affected THEM, like, "How do
you do that?" "That's bitchen!" "That looks likes candy... I want to eat it!"
"That GLOWS & comes to life in the dark!" "I haven't seen texture like that
anywhere!" "I don't like that one, it's too weird." "This is my favorite one! I
love how the flowers blow in the wind, and the colors are so vibrant and
passionate!" "There's all kinds of rich texture at the bottom of the painting,
just waiting to drop in goops. It draws you in." Those kind of people tell you
the difference you've made, and that's more rewarding.
No place for your art
Time and again there is no place for Ruth Collis in this world until forcing
my own way, and showing my stuff and ideas are neat, creating my own
environment, than wait for it to come, to demand support from those in my world,
& create my own website when no gallery would take my work or when no
competitions consider what I do to be neat.
This could also mean literally no place for
creating art, often an excuse. This is where I literally started painting when
there was no room: the bathtub. No excuse. It was solitary, quiet, clean, warm,
and bath tray held up my easel and some paints. Water running in sink nearby
covered outside noises. The world never makes a place for you to fit in. You
have to make a place just so you can exist and be you. That's why you are here,
to make a difference in what you do, and help improve life somehow, by you
existing.
This could also mean no place "in your life" for
your art. I decided after years of having a horse, that I wanted less
responsibility and am not getting the rewards I want from having a horse that
once was fulfilling when I spent time at it. Now I wanted to spend time in a
different area and create art... and that took some time to find my horse a good
home, sell my tack I invested in, work out ways to keep relationships with those
I boarded my horse with, and then set up a studio, even if small, buy canvases,
get paints, arrange my desk... whatever it took to find that part of my life I
wanted to be more fulfilling. Sometimes it takes moving things around in your
life, but first takes thought as to the placements for additions you want to
happen.
Parental Tapes
Being told we're no good, talent has skipped us, that we're "gay" if we're
creative, that artist's starve, not allowed to express when growing up, living
in constant fear of superiors, discipline, criticism, made to feel your art is
"less than" another's... so many things could hinder creativity, but the start
is realizing what's holding you back? Why would you not partake of what
interests you? Why live in negativity instead of possibility?? Why consider
yourself with no talent? I have heard countless times how a person doesn't have
a creative bone in their body and then see their house decorated perfect, or
inventive ways they come up with solutions to benefit their lives even if not
artistic. BS. Why surround yourself in it? Shake it off. Whatever it is you were
told, prove them wrong. Even if you don't take a stand outwardly, because that
takes enormous strength at times, you can still inwardly take more focus to
being who you are regardless of an external opinion.
Living the Mundane
Get some things you DESIRE, not what you "need" (work shoes have a hole in them,
but you buy these cool heels that you or
your hot date would love). Something non-sensible that would make you feel like
you're living life. *Don't do this too often!
But reward yourself for making that Savings fund build up and learn the balance
of being frugal and enjoying life. Some people always save and never live. Some
always spend and never learn money skills. Learn to make that balance. Create a
fund for splurging. Seriously.
This rich say to get out of debt where you can use
that money to invest, or opportunities will pass you by that you won't have
money for. A small part of this is where I pay a little extra into a certain
fund, knowing I happen to have this way about me that impulse-buys on only
certain occasions where there is something I happen to come across that I've
been looking for, for years, and there it is. This happens on many occasions.
Living in a state of constant Wonder than taking Action
Wondering what to do with your life instead of taking action to find out. Often,
we do not know what our true gift is in life, or what career to take, until
someone gives us a computer, a paintbrush, a camera, or what have you. Until
then, one can be stuck in never knowing what they like. BUT, that's the
teacher's part when certain teachers of life come your way. The OTHER part is
yours to take action and TRY every different class in school, or things that
interest you, to then KNOW what you like and don't like.
This thing many struggle with in not knowing what
they like IN ORDER to take the class, when really the opposite should be done:
You should take every class to THEN know what you like. Doing nothing from not
knowing what to do or try, leaves you years later still not knowing and time
wasted with life passing you by. This approach with time going by and is
wasting, you will NEVER know what you want to do until really getting in there
and taking action to try something. In about a month or 2, or even one
experience at having tried that one thing, you will then KNOW whether you want
to do more of that or none of it ever again, so much sooner than having sat back
wondering what to do with your life while twiddling your thumbs. So instead of
not knowing what to take, take everything (one at a time) to find out what your
special skill is. Try each different art medium to see what really appeals to
you.
Here's something to ask yourself: How much time has
gone by before you really haven't figured out what it is you want to do? Two
months? Five years? Your whole life? How about even 2 weeks? That 2 weeks is a
good indicator in smaller problem solving, that if you haven't figured it out by
now, do something different. Take action, or hire someone to figure it out for
you. Often this is connected to organizing your space. A good thing to do is
write out what you want done, what you've tried, what didn't work and what did.
This one action can help brings LOADS of clarity.
No Inspiration
Just plain old don't know what to paint. I could've used a site like this
when I was little. To know what to do to where your mind is exploding with
ideas, takes infiltrating your mind with endless creativity and seeing what's
out there. What things do you collect? What is cool that you've seen? What
fetishes do you have seen all over your house? Mermaids? Angels? Strawberries?
What things do you connect with that light up your life? What would make you so
interested you just have to try it, and express yourself? What has someone done
that you could do much better?
Excuses
Partially using all the above can be a subconscious excuse to not be able to
create. If you were asked to illustrate a feeling,
no matter what mood you are in, you could make that take creative form, even to
splattng paint on a canvas. The thing is, everyone has mishaps happen to them
that make them feel like doing nothing, but the ingenious beauty is taking that
pain and turning it into something others can identify with you about, like how
recording artists turn that impression into a song people then repeat &
memorize, for example.
This is called "Transmuting," in the "Think & Grow
Rich" book, chapter 11, page 185, even with using sexual energy, it is
explained: "The energy must be transmuted from desire for physical
contact, into some other form of desire and action, before it will lift
one to the status of a genius." So we can learn to Transmute, change, or
transfer one element or form of desire or energy into another, like painting
something we can relate with.
Really, this list could go on and on. So what's
your excuse for not getting a fun painting template today that costs next to
nothing, get a few supplies, and start living life?
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