Dear Artist,

Are you feeling a quickening as you keep making art daily? A sense of urgency in the creation process, that there is never enough time in a day to complete what you have started?

 

If so, then you are on the right track to enhancing your creative abilities. The brain that is stretched can keep making more and more leaps into new directions. Contrary, a brain that does the same thing day in and day out becomes complacent; by not making new dendrites it literally gets bored. This is not to say that some normalcy in life is good, I am talking specifically about time spent creating.

 

Jody Moore, a life coach from Spokane, Washington thinks preplanning creates less wasted energy spent on making decisions. Moore talks about being tired at night as her brain has worked like a mule all day. Artists however need to consider this advice differently. The mundane can be preplanned, but creation thoughts need to be channeled differently than normal decisions.

 

An artist’s brain needs to be stimulated, and not in the way that most people think. A famous artist once said, “The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies everything placed in front of it without being conscious of their existence.” Copying is good for a brain that needs rest, but it’s not best for the truly creative soul.

 

Doing the same thing day in and day out with art process with no growth makes an artist into a craftsman. Similar to the previous quote, Leonardo da Vinci believed, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” Being true to one’s creative self is not a singular activity. 

 

This is not hard what I am suggesting. Artists who work with spirit are not making taxing decisions. The coupling of the artist and spirit makes the perfect partnership. Every decision glides rather than paralyzes.

 

Be cautious though, when this companionship is lost or broken darkness can creep into an artist’s life. Too often successful artists, often ahead of their time, have lost this friendship with spirit and have lost everything. Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the chest. Mark Rothko overdosed and sliced his wrist. Georgia O’Keeffe even had a nervous break down and lost two years of creation time during the height of her career. She was able to recover, but many are not so fortunate.

 

Life brings in many stresses that can cause suffering and pain. Art should not add to this pile of hurt and debilitating events. Creation should be the white flag that pulls the artist up by the collar and hurls him forward. It can only successfully do this however, if the artist is in tune with spirit.

 

To stay connected one must practice each day allowing the still small voice of spirit to connect. Ideas from this higher power come from calm relaxed states, such as while driving, showering, or during deep breathing meditation time. Keeping a pad of paper nearby can be helpful to jot down ideas that come from these interactions.

 

The very best pieces of art come from spirit guiding the artist. What unique piece of art have you made that came from an inner guidance? Send me a photo to Instagram @ Uncle5star_studioselfie4 and I will give you a quick 5 ★ rating. I’m ready to see something new and interesting, so send your work this way.

 

Working with spirit is golden,

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Uncle Salvador