It’s the new year! The time when some of us evaluate our lives and decide on new intentions.  Art is no exception to this rule, we need to evaluate sometimes and consider where we are going with it.  Being creative all the time is a challenge because it requires a fresh approach and new ideas.

If you have been creating art for a while it is all too easy to fall into ‘art ruts’.  There is also the issue of the past influencing our thoughts about creating art. I explore the topic of how we can keep our art fresh and exciting…

Unrealistic Expectations

Many of the learners I teach come to the art class with preconceived ideas of what ‘good art’ is, often these ideas can limit their progress.  There is no doubt that accuracy is important but if we look at many of the famous artists some of them did not strive for reality.  For many it was representing the world as they saw it that was of most importance.  I find it a bit sad that many learners have already written themselves off as ‘not good at art’ based on accuracy in drawing.

You can meet learners who produce very accurate drawings but lack imagination and expression in their work or can’t mix colours well. Art is a plethora of skills, accurate drawing is just one of them. Sometimes learners are trying so hard to get good at one small area of art like accurate drawing that they become frustrated and give up.

Trying New Things 

I got to a stage where I had a long break from my art and needed to come back to it re-energised. I used this time to try some new areas of art. If you are tired of your art this is a good idea, you could try print-making, pottery or textiles for example.  I enjoy these areas of art because I find drawing challenging. Sometimes dipping into new areas of art can make you realise your skills are better suited to say textiles or it can make you realise you really like to draw the most and can’t wait to get back to it.

I think other branches of art are really refreshing for your drawing and painting, I really like printmaking and this has influenced my drawing and visa versa.

New Tutors/People

Another key factor in shaking up my approach is meeting others, sometimes when I create art in isolation it can become quite samey.  I always find meeting others who have a different style and approach can be energising.  Courses and workshops are one way of doing this, art clubs are another.  If you only have one art teacher/tutor you can only be exposed to one way of doing things.  I always feel that you can learn something from everyone so having a range of tutors and teachers is best.

What do you do when you need to re-energise your art?  Share below…