Giving a little time to preparing our hearts.
It’s quite incongruous given art is such an enjoyable pursuit, but artists commonly become discouraged and frustrated during the creative process. This is most likely because the inner critic is often quite ready to take over when our art inevitably doesn’t work out the way we had envisioned it.
It is absolutely true that through art we process life, and this includes those shadow parts of ourselves that keep tripping us up, like procrastination, self-criticism, comparison to others and whatever other forms our self-doubt takes. In the quietness of practising art, these challenging inner messages can be even louder than in busy daily activity.
"The well-kept secret of the ordinary is that it is made to be a receptacle of the divine".
Dallas Willard
In this ordinary activity of art making, we can receive the divine in a beautiful process that is able to bring comfort and healing to the spiritual places harmed by harsh judgements.
By moving into awareness and preparing the mind before we start creating, we are more likely to be enriched by a mindful art practice, rather than sabotaging ourselves with doubt and engaging in a self-critical cycle.
It only takes a moment to come into the present.
To begin, let’s identify our hopes and drivers. As basic as this seems, practised on a regular basis, I have found it leads to deeper mindfulness over time. As you prepare to create, think for a moment, what do I want the outcome of this project to be? Try to narrow it down to just one intention.
Here are some ideas to get going:
Physical/Material:
- To learn new skills
- To make something I love
- To learn about colour
- To try out my art supplies
- To make a gift
- To fill up an art journal
Spiritual/Well-being:
- To take my mind off things
- To let go and relax
- To feel good
- To not worry about anything
- To have fun
- To feel a sense of achievement
- To express my thoughts and feelings
By identifying our predominant hope and then figuring out whether it is primarily about the physical/material outcome of our work or our inner spirit/well-being, we can adjust our activity and expectations accordingly. Naturally, there will be crossover benefits between the categories but for simplicity we are just looking for the primary outcome.
Create according to how you feel.
So, this is the simple thought to keep top of mind. When you choose a spiritual experience for your artistic practice, prepare yourself not to expect to create a finished piece, or even something you are proud of. Give yourself the grace to have low expectations about the physical/material output from your session and be simply grateful for the space you created for your spirit.
On the other hand, when you choose a physical outcome as your intention, understand it is normal to sometimes come away feeling less nurtured, frustrated or stretched outside your comfort zone. That can have its own reward because you have been fulfilling your desire to learn, explore, and become a more skilled artist.
I have different parts of my creative process that I intentionally practice according to what I’m feeling at the time, and this is one of the ways I stay creatively fresh and uplifted.
For example, if I just want to take my mind off things but don’t want the pressure of making decisions about composition, I will create an underlayer or some collage papers. And when I am in the mood to lose myself more fully in concentrating on the art piece, I am so glad to have those smaller elements already prepared.
Remember our inner beauty.
If this resonates with you, I encourage you to join me in taking a few minutes to jot down your intention before you begin a creative session, and to refer to it if you start to feel any self-criticism or discouragement creeping in.
You could collect these little moments of being present as entries in a diary, add them to your art journal, collect them on an inspiration board, or simply scratch your intention on a scrap of paper that you use for collaging another day.
This very simple action is a form of self-compassion that opens the flow of beauty and joy as an alternative to getting stuck by unrecognised ideals.
It makes me smile right now to think of us being kinder to ourselves and finding more peace in creation. Let’s create space to know self-love and remember our inner beauty.
