101 changes: Change 11 – Bring Out The Artist In You

I am writing a series of 101 small changes that we can make to make the quality of our life better and build and lead a more happier life that is in tune with our heart and mind. These are small changes that I have made and am working on right now, so I know they are possible for anyone to do.

If you have not read previous posts, check out a few posts on the changes from the past:

101 changes: Change 1- Reduce Drinking Soda

101 changes: Change 2: Getting to email Zen

101 changes: Change 3: Slow down- Slow blogging movement

101 changes: Change 4 – Plant something

101 changes: Change 5 – Smile when you wake up

101 changes: Change 6:: Read a book – Benefits of reading

101 changes: Change 7 – Watch less Television and Be more productive

101 changes: Change 8 – Stretch your comfort zone

101 changes: Change 9:  Drink to your health- Benefits of Drinking Tea

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There is little artist in ALL of us, yes you too. Even if you think you simply can not draw, or write or tell poems, stories, tall tales or any other type of artist ability, think again as we all can be creative artist in our own ways! Let me show you how.

So what is Artistic Ability?

Artistic ability to think and work creatively, that means, create something new out of ordinary. It simply could mean, drawing what you feel, writing or telling something you feel passionate about, something you abhor about. It could mean using something in unexpected way, such as broken chair in to plant stand, making new recipe from leftover and so on.

Not only I think that way but many experts also seems to feel that all of us some type of artistic ability in us, we just need to encourage it and see it in us, believe in it.

What is considered Art?

When thinking of art, many people think of Paintings and famous artist such as Van Gogh and Picasso. While painting is certainly art, but it is not ONLY art in life. Here are some other talent that may fall under “art” or “artistic ability”.

• Painting
• Sketching
• Writing short stories, novels (fiction and non fiction)
• Poetry
• Music (playing, listening)
• Telling stories, making speech (we all do that!)
• Cooking, creating minor adjustment with ingredients to creating to new recipes
• Photography
• Landscaping ideas
• Being frugal can be creative hence artistic (saving money sure takes creativity)
• Making Money (also creativity certainly helps)
• Making crafts design such as jewelry, pottery, clay, sand design and so on
• Reading can be creative as well as it gives us new thoughts

As one can see being creative and being artist goes hand in hand. It is not only that we all do that, it also helps us cope with life’s up and down!

Creative Artistic are Born or Made?

Now many may ponder are we born creative or artistic or that is something we learn over our life time. Is that something you just do, or is it spiritual part of journey? If your parents were artistic does that mean, you will have higher chance of being artistic or creative?

While I am not sure about hereditary or spiritual part, I do know one thing for sure, all of us are born with creative ability or artistic ability in us. Some of us practiced it well and know how to use it, for rest of us, we need to tap and bring out the artistic side hidden behind our daily and busy persona.

Some people’s profession demands creativity and artistic expression such as musician for example, however if you are an accountant with desk job or busy housewife like myself, we can still use and believe in our artistic ability in our life.

How do you See Yourself?

We all human beings (and also other living beings) are mixture of our experience from childhood, friendship, books we have read, movies we have seen, music we listen to and people we see and hang out with. All these experience creates memories in our brain. Our brain’s memories and our perception of make us who we are; sometimes we have memories and experience of being creative, sometimes, one or both of parents, teacher have shown us that we have artistic side to us hence we tend to think “I am creative” or “I am artistic”. If our experience are different then we may think of ourselves to “I am not creative type” or “I can not do art”. But you see that is not who we might be as all of us some creative side inside us, if our parents, teacher, or friend’s memories did not show it, let’s show it our brain or mind that we are; because I am telling you that you are creative!

How to Increase your creative side or artistic ability?

So, how do we cultivate or bring about increasing our creativity or artistic ability? I consider these few tips will help bring out our hidden creative and artistic side out in open; Try it and let me know if it works for you or if you want to add suggestion of yours.

Simple Tips to Be Creative:

1. Listen to your Heart:

Oftentimes, we are bombarded with expert suggestions from Media such as Television, Radio, News Paper, Magazines and Advertisement. You may listen to expert advises, celebrity idols, friend or family’s opinions, but listen to your own gut feeling and go with what you feel is right. True friends and family will love you even when you do not choose what they said. Media and celebrities will not care, as they do not know us personally. Follow your heart or gut feelings.

2. Limit Choices:

In preschool and kindergarten, when kids were given more than 2 choices of snacks, they felt confused and unable to make choice easily. Same thing happens to us adults too, so limit the choice to choose from to minimum of 2 or most at 3. If you have many choices, cut down to 2 or 3 semi final choices to choose from.

3. Have routine but not schedule.

Having familiar routine to follow is re-assuring for kids and adults alike. For example, when I do not follow routine of writing on blog, it falls apart. Having schedule posts is sure ways to kill creativity, as it can not be forced.

Have routine and spontaneity in life no matter what you do, be it cooking, creating art, or music but do not have rigid schedule to kill your enthusiasm. Being creative works when we feel free and freedom to choose!

4. Do Not be Perfectionist

I know this very well, as I used to be one! my 6 year old is going through this, as he is taking piano class, he gets very upset when he does not play perfectly, even though he has learned the new song just 5 minutes ago! We are working on it. Being perfect kills creativity as goal of creativity is never to be perfect but to create something new out of ordinary. As I mentioned earlier, creativity works best when we are feeling free, and being perfect is not freeing!.

Just try to do your best, give your energy 100% to task which may or may not perfect, but it will be creative.

5. Forget Trends and Follow your passion:

Trends and fads are temporary! They maybe popular today and gone next day! When we try to follow other people’s success story, it simply does not work. When I left my six figure income to be home, it certainly was not popular in my friends and family and even I doubted my own heart occasionally thinking am I wrong? I might be bit poor compared to my working and making money from blog friends but I am certainly following my heart, if not my passion. This goes back to tip #1 that listen to our own gut feeling.

You can be artistic in making wood furniture or renovating old furniture, one does not need to be Picasso to be creative or an artist.

6. Create your future, forget past

Many of us get lost in past, including myself. It may sound silly, but we let our past dictate our future. For example, I have not published any fiction since being rejected from publisher when I was teen. I have since then published a few non fiction in magazine and books but my fictions I am scared to share. I am blocking my own creativity and working on changing that. If you also want to bring out creativity, forget past, create new you based on what you feel today.

7. Practice artistic creativity:

If you think you are not artistic or want to improve your artistic ability, practice. Practice makes things better. Sometimes having support from family member, friend, teacher or co-worker can boost us further in creativity, in addition to those support, we can also practice and support our own brain memories to help us realize our own creativity. Here are a few simple ways to practice being artistic;

1. Get inspired, see people and things around you in new ways.
2. Visit art museum, look at the painting, sculpture. Tell a tale about painting to a friend who was not there, write down short paragraph on the art itself, or draw something based on what you saw.
3. Write a letter (not an email) to a friend or uncle who lives far away. Tell them what you have been upto and what are you working on.
4. Look at people, kids and imagine funny joke or story based on what you saw. Find humor, irony or heart touching thoughts from those moments.
5. Think of dreaded question of “what is for dinner?” by thinking of creating something out of leftover or decide where to go to eat by thinking creatively.
6. Write down or think about questions that can not be answered in “yes” or “no”, by asking open ended and thought provoking question to yourself such as: “what do I like to do when I am free”, “what is my passion”, “what was best moment in my life?” and so on to increase creative thinking process.
7. Combine ideas, when you and other person have different thoughts you can sometimes combine thoughts or ideas to not only compromise but also create totally new solution that may work for both of you.
8. Write daily journal. It does not have be fancy, or only for your eyes. Writing your thoughts down will help you formulate your own thoughts. Create little stories to share your day and read them later just to see how far you may have come along since early days.
9. Look at clouds, trees and your own doodle when you were bored to find shapes, and images just for fun!
10. When unable to make a choice, think out of box to see how many other ways solution or resolution can be made? how many will work in reality?
11. Be around people who you think are creative, artistic and positive influence. If you can not find such people, you can read about creative people in books, biographies to learn from them.
12. Believe in yourself. Our mind is very powerful, it will manifest future you think, so think positive.

All of us have creative side, by believing in ourselves and listening to our own heart, all of us can be an artist and creative genius in our own way, without being famous! So go today and explore your artistic side!

Zengirl

Image source: freelance folder.com