Freedom from being perfect is a great relief.
Over the last year I have found a freedom in creating art in sketchbooks and through collage. The freedom being that they are created for the sake of creating not as an end product to be shown or sold, although I do like to share them with other creatives. There is a freedom to experiment and not worry about disasters, to understand no art is wrong. If I don't like it, I learn from it, or maybe use it as a base for another piece of art. I am creating art because I like to create. It makes me feel relaxed and happy. I am learning from other artists and finding my own style through experimentation and I am experiencing no failure. I am experiencing no disappointment in my 'tend to be perfectionist' world. It's great and I thank all those artists who have shared their ideas and techniques for free over the last year -
Find your Joy Taster - Louise Fletcher - this one really loosened up my art and my approach to it. See photo above.
Sketchbook Revival - Karen Abend and all the artists who gave workshops...
Amy Maricle, Lucie Duclos, Melinda Nakagawa, Anica Gabrovec, Wendy Solanik, Galia Alena. Helen Colebrook and many more. All on social media with more free workshops and creative ideas.
Urban Sketching - Toby Haseler - Tobysketchloose on you tube, and Ian Fennelly
Neurographic Art - shared on a facebook group
Zentangles, slow drawing, and doodles - fb and youtube and Amy Maricle Mindful Art Studio
I have been playing with words too, through poetry.
Muddling through the complexity of writing poetry by creating a poetry book and employing an editor, who was fantastic at pointing me in the direction of writing poetry knowledge and digging deeper into word imagery. I've watched several masterclass videos of poets too, all good fodder for freeing the mind from being perfect before doing. The book is only available as an e-book from my website at the moment, and I am not pressuring me to get it out as a paperback book as I would have done in the past. I am thinking about including some artwork in it too. Maybe.
I am writing and performing short 'spoken words' on my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@JenniClarkePoetry-o3o
I am creating these without much editing or fussing about. Just playing with the idea of expressing myself as I am, including my imperfections, and it's fun. Being imperfect is fun. Ha, who would've guessed?
I am making short videos about my writing process, an experimentation in connecting with readers in a form I am comfortable with, and am finding first takes are generally okay. Not perfect, but experimental, playful, enjoyable.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniclarke4877
I am quietly confident, with fingers and toes crossed, that this freedom from being perfect in my creativity is spilling into all aspects of my life.
I have battled it for years, trying to accept and change what I thought was a 'control' issue. But now, I am sure it is my high expectations of myself, an unrealistic expectation simmering in the background of my life, causing me to be unhappy with choices and actions I make. Frustration when I don't achieve what I want to achieve still rears its ugly face, especially when I am tired, but I am recognising it now, for what it is, and acknowledging my feelings. A step in the right direction.
If I am enjoying not being perfect in my creative life, I am sure I can enjoy not being the perfect child, sister, mother, grandmother, wife, friend, cyclist, toy box upholsterer, driver, gardener...
Thank you for reading my Blog, you can find more about me here...
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