Creativity can be endless, but it takes some work. The key is to keep from getting stagnant.
Sometimes I am a little worried that I will run out of ideas and I won’t have anything else to paint. I have to work to push those thoughts out of my head.
I just spent about a week out of town. I was able to finish 2 paintings before I left, and started 2 more.
I was back at the easel today and I felt like the possibilities are endless. So much so that I am liable to go outside and pick up a pine cone to use as a paint brush, or some bark to superglue to a canvas.
Ok, maybe not that extreme (although don’t put it past me), but inspiration really is everywhere. When I wasn’t painting, I wasn’t looking for it. If a random thought crossed my mind for something to paint or craft, I would file it away for “later”.
Since I wasn’t making room for new ideas by cycling out the old ideas, they became easier to ignore, I eventually forgot about them and the new ideas stopped coming.
It truly takes practice to hone any craft, talent or skill. It’s the work you put in when no one else is watching that will help you to be successful.
I think this applies to creativity as well. If you don’t practice taking care of those ideas, it will be harder to get the flow started again later.
There’s no reason not to keep track of those ideas, even if you don’t see yourself being able to act on them anytime soon. You never know when an opportunity will come up.
I’m practicing using my ideas daily to make room for new ones. I know my style of painting will probably change along the way, but that’s also part of not being stagnant.
My problem now is making time to write things down. But that’s another story for another day..
– Robin
