Art Without Apology - Accept That You Will Make Some Crappy Art

Accept that you will make some crappy art, and lots of it. But on the flip side, accept that you will also make some AMAZING ART. You will make art that makes you irritated and maybe even angry at times. You will get frustrated and angsty. Accept it. Assimilate it into your being and become OK with the idea of it. Repeat after me, "I will make crappy art and love it!" It isn't the love of the art per se, but the love of the process of creating. 

We need to flex our creative muscles and create for the sheer joy of the creative process. Think about this, the more you workout the stronger your muscles become. The more you meditate, the stronger you become, mentally. It is the same idea with "flexing that creative muscle". The more we make art, the more the creative juices get flowing. Every piece of artwork doesn't have to be a masterpiece. Just put the brush or pen to paper and just make squiggles, lines or paint blobs. It doesn't matter. Channel your inner kindergartener and just play around. Watch how the paint interacts with the paper. Watch the colors blend. Play the role of detached observer in the creative process. 

Sometimes, I do what I call "Creative sorbet". Sorbet is an ice cream like food that is typically eaten between different foods to cleanse your palate/palette. (see that pun?) It allows us to start fresh when we try the next food so we can thoroughly taste the spices and flavors. For example, I will paint a few paintings and then I might do an acrylic pour or a color chart, something where I don't have to think as much about technique or perspective. I just paint. There is no expectation, no thought, I am just DOING. 

Letting go of expectations on occasion just being in the moment, painting for the sheer joy of line and color, helps reset your creative psyche. Being able to immerse yourself in the process without attachment to the final outcome is therapeutic. And remember, we always learn something in the process. 

 After all of this, if you are still angsty about "wasting paper", you can always get creative with these practice pieces and cut them up to make collages or you can gesso them or use watercolor ground to paint over them. Anytime spent creating, is never a wasted effort.  Sometimes we need to create a pile of straw to find the golden needle in the haystack, it is how originality is born! 

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 Thank you for your support, Andrea Harston #artwithoutapology #andreaharstonart