Why is it so challenging to commit to an art practice just for the sake of making art?
I’m not sure if the answer is blowin’ in the wind on that one or what, but as a professional artist and an art business person, I tend to pigeon hole myself into only creating art that I can sell, and poo poo on creating an art practice simply for my own enjoyment.
But I’m an arrrtist!!
There’s this wild art spirit in me that wants to just make things for fun. So I’m going to do more of that. This year, I joined a group of likeminded artists hosted by Margo Tantau, of Tantau Studio, in a group called The Foundry. We discuss our goals, work together on them, share our questions and share so much wisdom. I’ve mostly been attending the group sessions and procrastinating the learning videos – until a couple of weeks ago.
I started diving into the learning modules, and you know how art classes are so much cooler than any other classes? Well… I was having a good time. The exercises to hone in on my values, the lifestyle I am building, the way I want to shape my art business, are really nudging me back into remembering why I like to make art in the first place.
One thing that stood out to me (because it’s so true) is that we generally allow ourselves time to dream and feel content when we are creating art for ourselves – like just for the sake of enjoying ourselves.
I so rarely do this. Even when I am practicing my art, I can’t say it’s for my art practice. It’s usually with an end goal in mind – some piece I want to create for some “reason.” But having an art practice simply to sink into and enjoy? I feel like I don’t have time for that. Like I’m not successful enough to give myself space to create just for fun.
What a load of self defeating art-hiding in the shadows bulls#it, am I right?
I have to call myself out on that because the sense of self-importance it takes to deny myself the joy of an art practice is kinda silly. So I won’t beat myself up but I will call myself in. Like – in for an art practice.
Creating the space for my art practice
Ok, let me be real. There were many years of my life where having any time to myself at all was quite a feat. It usually consisted of me walking out into the desert by myself or with my beloved little dingo dog where my mind could be free. But finding a quiet time to just create for the sake of creating and not to build my skills or portfolio? HAHAHAHA!!
Lucky me, I’m in a much different time and space now. Like – I could honestly commit to doing The Artist’s Way if I wanted to really create routines in my art practice, writing practice, and setting some super serious goals.
But for now, I’m juggling a full time job, a little art business (that is forever changing and evolving), a few nonprofit commitments, anti-racism learning, and trying to unpack from a recent movie – and I STILL have a million more hours in my weeks than when I was parenting and wifing, lol.
So I decided that since I’m in my childless cat lady era, I’d pair up with my cat’s needs for wind sniffing and chair lounging, and I’d bring my art projects outside in the evenings when we sit in the peaceful breeze and listen to the train whistling through the hills.
Getting started on actually making art with this new practice
My mind will distract me so fast when I’m trying to focus on doing something I enjoy. Like there’s this internal alarm going off saying, “Wait! Don’t enjoy yourself, do you know how dangerous that is? You’re going to get in trouble! You need to be focusing on SURVIVAL!”
Ahh, the old familiar chug, chug of survival programming. Still.. It makes itself known. So sometimes I don’t get very far. Other times I choose to sketch with my non-dominant hand just to feel that sense of freedom – like this untrained appendage that isn’t making carefully curved lines, it’s just thinking – hey, what if I make a million weird dots? And then I scribble over them in a huge black circle? And then I try to stream some lines out of that almost like a sun? But what if it’s more like a spider?
I recommend a little non-dominant hand drawing if you’re stuck on how to get started on making something. The ridiculousness of what comes out is so obvious, it is really hard to think, “Hey, I could make that into a tea towel!”
I guess the point isn’t just making art – it’s the practice of “arting” in and of itself.
What I’m working on now…
So, yesterday, out of nowhere, amidst a whole slew of plans and to-do lists, I decided I should pick up one of the embroidery kits that I created, and actually start stitching it – like, whaaaat??!! This is a kit that is a tester at the moment – I haven’t printed enough of the black ampersands to list on my Etsy shop, but I will soon…
I honestly hadn’t stitched a single kit I’ve created… I knew it was a bit risky, but hell, I’m an artist – we shoot from our voluptuous hips – a lot..
I’ve found the thing that I can do just for me for a while! (these tired/arthritic hands don’t love the holding of the hoop, so maybe I won’t stitch allll the days of my life). I love getting back to a tactile craft after spending so much time creating digital art.
Embroidery and stitching can be so unique and open so many avenues for expression. I mean – I had no idea how to create depth, but with a few weird experiments, I had some depth!
I mainly just wanted to celebrate this huge win in my life. Creating an art practice just for me – just for my own enjoyment. Every choice that I make in favor of caring for myself is an act of rebellion in a social climate that has trained me to seek out every opportunity to provide value for someone else.
So, I encourage you to create a practice just for you – be it art, writing, walking, stargazing, cartwheeling… We are the only ones who will advocate for our own joy. I’m telling you, no one else will do it for us – not the guys on the white horses from the fairy tales, not our new fabulous friend, not the groups we are a part of… Just little old us.
So however you can, I send you lots of encouragement through the ethers to grab onto that little snippet of time just for you. It’s your joy, take in a little piece of it every. damn. day. ☀️
Other blog posts you may enjoy:
Give Yourself Permission – to be Creative.. to be Authentic.. to be Human
The Artist and the Inner Critic
