What Inspires You?
In this feature, each month artists share one thing that excites them creatively.
One key piece to support healthy, productive creativity is stimulating inputs. What kinds of things stimulate the creative centers of the brain? What kind of inputs stimulate us visually? Emotionally? Spiritually? Mentally? Physically?
I’d really like to know, what’s one thing that fills your creative cup? Share with us in the comment section below.
What Inspires You?
Linda Ursin
What inspires me?
Anything and everything. It’s hard for me to pick one. I can’t really say I know where it comes from. I’m multi-creative, which means I create in many different ways.
Linda Ursin
Website: heksebua.com/linda
What Inspires You?
Leo Anderson
What inspires me?
Leo
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Why I Hate Ron Howard
I’ve got nothing against Ron Howard, really. Opie was a cute kid. But, forgive me, so far I can’t stand anything directed by the man. I find his style sappy and emotionally overwrought.
OK. That’s about as critical and mean-spirited as you will hear me get publicly. I even struggled with using the word hate in my title. In truth, I don’t hate anyone but I’m trying to make a point here.
I picked Ron Howard because I know he can take it and I know he’s probably a really wonderful and totally sincere guy who could care less what I think. And he has touched millions of lives with his work over decades of service as an actor, writer, director and, producer.
In fact, I’m certain many of you LOVE Ron Howard. (And if I insulted you with my opening paragraph, I apologize.)
I know many of you love mushrooms, too.
Can’t stand ‘em myself.
What I am trying to stay here is taste is purely subjective.
And that’s all it is. Taste.
Feel free to ignore the people who will try to tell you their taste is the taste. The correct taste. (Ahem – art teachers, professors and critics.)
As you send your work out into the world, some people will LOVE it.
Some will hate it.
Some will say “Meh.”
That doesn’t mean your work is good.
Or bad.
Or even Meh.
It’s just your work. It’s the work you do.
So when everyone is patting you on the back and giving you shows and buying your work it doesn’t necessarily mean you are brilliant.
And if NO one is paying attention and you continually get rejected neither does it mean your are an idiot who should give up and go do something else.
It means nothing.
It’s just ego stuff.
Because you love this thing so much – creating, making, innovating, birthing new projects.
To continually evolve and pull ideas from deep within.
To craft and hone and love them.
Your work is a gift of love to the universe and to yourself. (You are, after all, an integral part of the universe.)
Keep on, friend.
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You can do this!
Wherever you are right now as an artist, I am here to remind you that you can do this.
It may not always be easy and it may not always be smooth but if you keep at it you will experience joys and rewards you could not have dreamed of from where you stand right now.
It may not always look exactly like you dreamed it would, but the life you aspire to is waiting for you.
I just wanted to make sure you remembered this.
Your work means something. There is a place for your work in this world. No matter what kind of work you make, there are people out there just WAITING for you work.
Really.
There hearts are longing for what you and ONLY you can give. Just as there is no one in the entire world who looks quite like you, there is no one in the whole entire world who can create what you do.
Your work is important.
Please remember that.
Now, go get in the studio!
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Connect with others to accelerate your progress!
A few months ago, a friend invited me to join at women’s fitness challenge group she was forming.
Participating has radically changed my yoga practice (In addition to getting me more in shape and encouraging me to do even more cardio.)
I have been practicing yoga for 27 years now.
I’ve had dozens of amazing teachers over the years. I’ve gone through periods when I went to 3- 5 classes a week and periods when I’ve just practiced on my own.
I’ve had times when I stepped away from it temporarily.
But mostly, I’ve practiced daily for all these years.
But I need to admit something to you.
There are poses I just have not really progressed in.
I can do a mean triangle pose but I’ve never been able to do a full vrischikasana (scorpion) without assistance:
or bacasana (crow pose):
I just haven’t built the upper body strength.
So that has been a big part of my commitment with the fitness challenge – to work on my upper body strength.
And I have. I’ve been doing poses all on my own that I shied away from. And it’s all due to the support of this wonderful group of women.
I am so grateful to them.
So what does this have to do with you? And with your art?
Is there an area of your art life and career where you haven’t been challenging yourself?
Have you been coasting? Staying with what’s familiar or easy?
I heartily recommend gathering a group of like-minded individuals around you. You’ll be amazed at how motivating it is.
Some people call this a Mastermind – a group in which the power and intelligence and motivation of the group far exceeds that of each individual.
That’s why I always build a group forum into the Mindful Artist Mentorship Program. I have experienced first-hand what an enormous difference this makes and now I wouldn’t want to be without it.
When you are discouraged or needed advice, you have the group to turn to.
You cheer each other on during trying times.
You celebrate victories!
You encourage each other to stretch for excellence.
You will also help each other to recognize when your goals are unrealistic or when you are being too hard on yourself.
Here are six steps to create a similar group to turn your dreams into achievable goals:
1. Select the people you invite carefully. Make sure you find some folks who are equally committed. People who aren’t committed and don’t participate can drag the energy of the group down. People who are committed and enthusiastic lift the level of participation and energy in the group to a remarkable degree and really make it work.
2. Set a time specific time frame for when the group will start and end. This way people can jump in and fully commit even when they are very busy. They know it’s not a forever commitment but chances are many will want to continue.
3. Set manageable goals and make your commitments to each other. I realized my first set of goals was unrealistic after reading everyone else’s and I ratcheted it back a notch or two. (By the way it feels much better to exceed your goals then to not meet them.) and feeling good about yourself is self perpetuating it makes you even more motivated to achieve.
4. Designate a day for a weekly check-in via email. I actually don’t recommend trying to meet in person unless you all have oodles of time and live close to each other.
5. Create a simple form of questions for your weekly check in. – I’ll share our fitness form here for an example:
- Name:
- Week #__ of 12:
- Did I reach my goal?
- How did the week feel/ how did it go?Any changes I would like to implement?
6. Have a simple way to connect between your weekly check-ins– a facebook group is free and works really well for this.
Have you ever experienced the power of a group to propel you forward? Share in the comments section below.
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Food for Thought: Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter Painting movie last week. Definitely would recommend it if you are interested in painting in general, and his work in particular. I think he is an interesting painter, definitely not one of my favorites, but I rarely miss an opportunity to watch a documentary on an artist.
I have a book of interviews with Richter and his own writings called The Daily Practice of Painting: Writings 1962 – 1993 from which I pulled this month’s quote:
“Pleasure is only one aspect [of painting]. Nothing can be done without it; but if that’s all there is to it, it merely bores and irritates the viewer. The objective side has to come in, through which painting offers something of universal interest: a statement, a new quality, an advance – something the other person can do something with.”
Your thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
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Have you ever gotten paint on your clothes?
Ever gotten paint on a favorite item of clothing, carpet of piece of furniture?
This is hands-down my most popular video on youtube:
This method works for the toughest dried on acrylic paints and mediums as well as oil paints AND it’s a non-toxic, biodegradable product.
Another tip – my husband and I have restored 3 different hundred + year-old homes and I have used this product to safely soak layers and layers of the paint off of intricate hardware.
Andrew Lenz owner of Lenz Arts in Santa Cruz claims it “saved his marriage” after he tracked tar in the house and nothing else he tried would remove it from the carpet.
Hope this helps!
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