I asked an artist once how he developed his latest style and way of working. He shared his thoughts which I thought were helpful and maybe you’ll find them helpful too.
His most recent way of working was markedly different from what he created in previous years. I was very curious how he shifted creative gears and what appeared from the outside as reinventing himself. But maybe it was just finding what he was really wanting in his art. I’m paraphrasing: he said notice what you notice. Pay attention to what you are drawn to. What do you like? What do you see that makes you pause or get excited or linger.
I don’t think I can express exactly what that is for me but some of the things I’m drawn to are nature, organic forms, space (as in nebulae). I continue to learn about this with each new drawing or painting I make. I think that’s all part of the artistic journey and the fun of creating.
What are you drawn to?
June 8, 2016 at 4:02 pm
As an artist who is experimenting in a new medium myself, I returned to doing art after taking a break of five years. My question to myself was this: what do I want to focus on and why? My first day back to actually painting again was April 1st. It took me a few weeks to figure out what I was doing, and part of it is what I’ve wanted to do all along: honor the sacred in nature and the nature of the sacred. I feel like The Fool card in the Tarot, all full of hope and adventure on the edge of a cliff.