Several weeks ago I posted the question, “If you are someone who doesn’t create much, why is that? What stops you from creating?”
I read through the many answers and looked for themes that I could identify. Here are the problem ares most people identified with:
I have many process videos for creating collage and will continue to make more going forward, so I won’t address that now in this post.
With workspace issues, I broke that down into two sections: mental and physical workspace. With mental workspace, sometimes your brain gets crowded with too many ideas. Also, finding the time to make art is challenging for several people who have to mentally juggle lots of responsibilities. Several years ago I recorded a free online course called “5 minutes at a time” where I demonstrated how you can use the tiniest bits of time through your day to make art. I used those same slides and rerecorded the video to post on to YouTube.
SO many people said that a messy and disorganized workspace is keeping them from creating. I had no idea so many are struggling with this! I’ve been researching the problem and will be creating some videos on this later this month.
Lastly, I’ll create a video about moving past things like self doubt, lack of motivation, and low self esteem.
I talked about these things in more detail in the first video in the series, which is the introduction. https://youtu.be/ES8HzbGysBQ
“Create in 5 minutes at a time” comes out after that.
“Reclaim your creative space” comes out the week after that. That’s the plan, anyway 😉
It’s so interesting to me to learn about what stops people from creating. Obviously I don’t have all the answers, but I think it’s so important to address these topics and get people thinking about possible solutions or methods to deal with them.
How to start art journaling for the joy of it
Hello Margarete, I loved seeing your video’s on this topic. I kept thinking about the reasons why I find it so hard to stay creative even though I have a beautiful craft room, more supplies than I will ever need, so it must have been in my head. This week I completed the 100 day project and it taught me something really important. To find inspiration with others but to not compare my art with anybody else’s art. Because as soon as I feel that mine is not up to standard or beautiful enough, it kills all the joy of creating. I started the 100 day project with a practical size, just an A7 (3×4 inch) card, no specific theme, overall vintage or eclectic style and the most important thing it didn’t have to be pretty. It was purely about creating a habit. I have never had so much fun in my life as in making these cards. And as a bonus, I found my own style. When I now look at these little cards, I can recognize something in them that is me, I don’t know what, but it is there.
This is a long story, so I’ll cut it short, but last year I found you on Pinterest and Youtube and it changed my life. Just 3 months later I got to meet you and I have made new friends who show support for my art. Thank you for all that you share with us, for your patience, for your beautiful art! It has filled my heart with so much joy and gratefulness, that I can never repay.
Oh my goodness, what lovely comments, Inge! I had no idea you were so “new” to collage from when I met you! Regarding your 100 day project, I’m so glad that you finished the experience and learned something about yourself. It also sounds like you make a huge breakthrough in figuring out how important it is NOT to compare your own work to others. I know that’s easier said than done, sometimes, but it sounds like you have reached the place where you can do this. You are so right about the habit of creating. I have never tried the 100 day project but I definitely want to try it next year. Thanks for the suggestion!