This weekend I traveled back to Morgantown, West Virginia, to set up for a show at Zenclay Cafe. This new work was a lot of fun to create, and I learned a lot about the process. Here’s what I learned…
Step 1: Choose your Materials (and stick with it!)
This may not apply to all artists, but for me, I’ve learned that limiting your resources can offer a great deal of clarity. I decide what materials I am going to use for any particular series and stop there. In the past, I found myself becoming easily overwhelmed having kept my options a little too open. Now, I keep a “Future Projects List” nearby to organize my mind. I collect new ideas as they emerge and reserve them for a later time. I find that it’s an effective tool to organize my thoughts and keep myself on track because I can get sidetracked and lose focus. It’s important to remember you’re on a deadline and that experimentation is great if you’ve got keen time-management skills. (Which I don’t.) Plus, if you carry those creative ideas into your next project, you can compare, reflect, and measure just how much your work is growing and expanding.
The beginning...
Step 2: Play is mandatory; an activity not just reserved for children
When was the last time you played? Like, really played? Chattin’-it-up-with-your-imaginary-friend kind of played? Adulthood is a great place where we as humans go to forget the value of fun. Schedules get busier and busier until one night you wake up in the middle in a cold sweat, panicked, because you realize your student loan payment is due tomorrow. Let’s not even get started about your five-year plan you haven’t even touched…
Forget. it. all. PLEASE. Play is an important component of mental health. I need only an hour or two a day, but it is essential in my daily regimen. Have fun. Find a safe place. Go nuts.
You’ll be amazed what you’ll come up with when you stop thinking about how everyone else is going to judge your work. It’s time to let go and have some fun. Wheeeeeeeee!!!
