The Art of “Just Showing Up” Part 2…
Kim in the lower pasture with her latest John Deere #4 and Eve 36X36.
“Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.” Chuck Close
In Part 1 I spent a good bit of time discussing what do you do when you are NOT inspired from the aspect of creating boundaries for yourself that enable you to get a fresh perspective on your creativity/passion/or career of choice. I tried to not limit my comments to only artists. I believe that all women are creative in some aspect of their work…how they organize, deal with people, logistics, time management, encouraging, and handling countless other. Inspiration is found in different ways in all jobs if you look for it so my hope is to encourage anyone in any field of work. For instance, if you homeschool I think you deal with EVERY area! I hope I can provide at least just one take away so whatever it is you do, there are principles you can apply that are the same.
How do we re energize, get a fresh perspective, get INSPIRED if you are NOT TIRED or burned out?
What if you feel great but have a mental block and nothing fresh, new, or encouraging shows up to take your work to the next level and, certainly these are often just small incremental levels we are craving…not necessarily a miraculous new ability/talent?
I believe the first things we can NOT do are: panic, give in to self deprecating thoughts, compare yourself to others in your field, or give up. We have to understand that most artists go through at least one of these things…regardless of how social media presents itself, everyone we know has struggles so do not isolate yourself as being the only one.
“Comparison is the thief of joy” – Theodore Roosevelt. Panic will rob you of joy, self accusation will rob you of joy and giving up will rob you of joy and any opportunities you might have had.
I think the first thing to do is to understand that you are not alone and plenty of other women are thinking the same all around us in many areas of life. Here are some thoughts and I believe that at least one of these could be helpful.
Allow yourself to take the process slower and just enjoy yourself. Give yourself a break. I am a firm believer in being outside for fresh air, sunshine, feeling the breeze, hearing nature. These things are not Pollyanna comments. Getting outside will clear your mind, help you to breathe and even turn your mind to the many good things you have going in your life…blessings that are even more important than the inspiration you are looking for at this moment. Come back to your studio or desk and realize this might be awhile and may not be settled overnight, a week or even a month. Be kind to yourself…we are always more encouraging to others when they have struggles and yet we turn on ourselves…so perhaps “Be ye kind…to yourself!” would be the best first step to take.
One thought I’ve read and been told about by others is to do something creative beyond what you do already. It could be a hobby for just yourself or experimenting with another media that could change your outlook or take a creative class from someone that doesn’t necessarily do what you do. Cook a new recipe, invite a friend to paint with you JUST FOR FUN WITH NO AGENDA, take some photos and try a new online design process like CANVA that allows you to manipulate those pics for your social media. If you paint with oils perhaps try watercolor, or pastels. I’m planning to knit 2 baby blankets soon for granddaughters…it’s fairly mindless, the high quality yarn feels wonderful, the color palette will be limited but beautiful and it is actually a calming activity. I am also going to paint our powder room an abstract design in my color palette and the excitement and interest I feel in that should spill over to my canvas as well! See if there is a complimentary interest, area of activity or course you could also take that gives you a fresh take and fresh encouragement that will lead to additional creativity.
Try new techniques, new products, new color palettes or any new materials doing what you do now…then allow yourself to feel free to discard what you believe doesn’t suit YOU and That Is Okay! I have gone to bed thrilled with something new I tried and so sure that I had come up with the “next great piece of art” only to rush to my studio the next morning and think “how could I have thought THAT was going to work and WHO painted that by the way! It is okay. I give that piece of canvas permission to possibly be a practice canvas, possibly even burned…but in the meantime I have gesso and I can try again. I can’t overstate how important it is to be kind to yourself and just say that sometimes the ugly stage takes awhile. Recently I did this and the piece I previously gessoed over has been receiving a lot of positive attention and will not be burned!
Spend time enjoying beautiful magazines, wallpapers, fabrics, websites. Look at fresh new architecture pictures, accounts to see the creativity of others as well. Take a drive through your favorite neighborhoods and if it is a sidewalk community…GET OUT OF YOUR CAR AND WALK..especially if it is a beautiful day. As a new mother years ago in a new city and just beginning to make new friends, I used to do the latter. I pushed a stroller in one community so often that some of those neighbors thought I was moving in but that was okay as well!
Surrounding yourself with items that are lovely to you or meaningful to you are small but bright spots of inspiration or encouragement at the least. My family knows that gifting me with beautiful kitchen towels make drying dishes more enjoyable. I like to get aprons from @jcatma and @anthropologie to use when I am painting. The colors, design make me feel more inspired actually…such a little thing but it does. Add my favorite candle to the studio and although I might not paint the masterpiece on this day, I have created an atmosphere that is peaceful to start again, and again, and possibly again.
Switch things up from your usual approach if only in a small way. I don’t know how that looks to you but sometimes for me it means pausing my normal routine to walk outside. At other times, I find it good to work on my flower ladies if I am struggling with an abstract or floral. Often working on an unrelated piece/project will allow the comfort and confidence to return to your prime work with fresh eyes. Switching things up can cultivate looking at your work differently and you’ve done this in all areas of life before. It could have been a forced change in schedule that led you on to a different path…in the end you suddenly had an epiphany of a new idea…an “aha moment” if you will. That is what a change of schedule, location, materials, technique can do for you.
Talk to a trusted person you respect in your field. For me if I have hit a wall, I speak with my gallery directors. They know me and my work and my purpose so I trust them and their experience to possibly see something I don’t see. A mentor is also a great person to speak with over a cup of coffee to pick their brain or see if they see something you have missed. It could be that their best advice is simply to persevere and relax. In that case it could be that you’ve made a mountain out of a molehill. I have certainly done that before…I think we are all prone to jump ahead overly concerned when all we need is something small to trigger new productivity.
The bottom line is, if you are convinced that you are on the right career or creative path for your life…slow down and evaluate how you might make a few changes in your attitude, schedule, materials, etc. to get a fresh perspective. Then SHOW UP and be encouraged the vast majority of the time, this is all you need to consider!
Kim Kreis graduated with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and taught the most delightful fourth graders in a blue collar, farming community outside Dothan, Alabama for 10 years. Following her marriage in 1986, she moved to Birmingham where she began a new career as a stay at home mom and a fine stationery entrepreneur for 25+ years. Once she and her business partner passed on their company, Sweet Pea Designs, the next step became obvious…to be an artist with a purpose…
