Be more creative as an artist

“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising and gave to it neither the power nor time.”  Quote by Mary Oliver 

Be more creative:

I often get the question of how I get to my ideas and also about how I get to be so productive.

Both of these aspects are like a muscle, the more you use it, the easier it becomes to use. 

I recently started presenting creativity workshops for creatives and artists. 

I found that there are a lot of creatives who have with deep frustrations around their creativity, sometimes you just need that little encouragement to break out of your mold and to make your start.

We all have access to incredible creative energy working through us, you have to become conscious of it and get to a way to tap into it.

I also find that a lot of artists tend to keep to themselves for long periods of time, only spending time behind their easels and the time away from their canvasses is seldom for themselves. 

The time away in these workshops spending with like-minded people are also very valuable. 

Creativity Workshop in Klerksdorp:

Thank you to The B-Gallery  in Klerksdorp for using their beautiful, creative space!

One sure thing about creativity is consistency, you have to keep the ball on the roll. It is also wise to get a theme to work towards. That takes the pressure off you. You can go and sit in front of your easel and not have to figure out what to paint. 

In these workshops, I give guidelines as to how to get to a body of work. 

To create a consistent body of work requires knowing yourself, your passions, and your lifestyle, knowing who you are and putting that aspects of you into your artwork… consistently and with stability.

You might wonder why I of all people can give those guidelines as I have no method in my madness while creating!!  I reed a lot about the topic, speak to a lot of gallery owners and artists and I know precisely what I am supposed to do. Doing the “right” thing just doesn’t come easy to me as my mind is racing at top speed all the time! In a way, I think me being “all over the place” is my consistency. 

“Do bad work, do it often, do it generously, and then work to improve it”   -Seth Godin-

One person I can recommend to follow if you are a creative person is Seth Godin

Below are a few of the photo’s I took at my Klerksdorp workshop.

The interesting thing about this workshop is that there were no full-time artists. There was even a psychiatrist who never painted before and I was so impressed with her painting!!! 

                                       A fun exercise in the workshop to loosen up your creativity. 

Creativity Workshop in Bloemfontein: 

In Bloemfontein, we had the privilege to use the Kotze Art Gallery   as a venue. Surrounded by masterpieces, the creative juices flow freely. 

Artists Kobus Lotz , Annette Roberts and Hanlie Kotze

Artists dive deep into words written down at the beginning of the workshop. By brainstorming with your fellow artists, they find elements and symbols that represent the general tone of who they are by conveying these words into symbols and pictures.

In my Bloemfontein workshop, almost everyone who attended is full time artists.  For those who struggled with the technical aspects of painting, collaging make this project less intimidating. 

Artist Hester Hattingh rounding off her painting. 

 Liesel Wessels  had such a calm way of approached her painting and it is unbelievable how many symbols and dainty elements she got to work into her artwork in such a short time.   

Halfway through the painting, we stopped for a quick crit session and each artist had the opportunity to give their opinion and input. 

Creativity is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Let your curiosity trigger your creativity.

Please send me a message if you want to attend any of my workshops at 0832452424

Books I recommend to read about the creativity topic: 

“The Artist’s Way”                                              Julia Cameron

“The War of Art”                                                 Steven Pressfield

“Purple Cow”                                                        Seth Godin

“Big Magic”                                                          Elizabeth Gilbert  

“Drawing on the right side of the Brain”      Bettie Edwards

“99% of the time, in my experience, the hard part isn’t coming up with something no one has ever thought of before. The hart part is actually executing the thing you’ve thought of.”

-Seth Godin-