5 steps to get started making something!
Getting started is often the time that I need to hold my student's hands the most. I understand this phase of the art-making journey DEEPLY because for me, it's where my Slug tends to take over and get in the way of me making anything at all!
The pressure of needing to be perfect every single step of the way is not welcome in my studio or my classroom and I encourage you to bring the same awareness into your space, no idea is perfect, no artwork is perfect, no person is perfect. So take a deep breath, let all of that settle in and let’s walk through this one step at a time!
1.First up, sit down and have a think about WHY you want to make something. Be honest. Do you want to be a cool creative person? Do you want to have fun? Learn something new, challenge yourself, prove someone wrong…???? Get honest about your intention so that you can create towards yourself, your growth, and your calling.
You may find that you really do just want to make something because of the insta-perfect creative cool vibes you’re having thrown at you, or you may really just want to make a damn mess! All of it is ok, all of it is allowed.
Personally, when I’m getting started on stuff just for me, my intentions are generally: to have a good time, learn or practice a skill, play, be a cool artist in my studio being cool.
2. Brainstorm, mind map, whatever you call it, I want you to write down every single little thing that you enjoy. Everything is valid! We often cut off our desires and ways of enjoying the world because of fear that we are enjoying the wrong things. Which is as ridiculous as it sounds, but it’s there nonetheless, so really push yourself to validate all of you.
I like to get out an A3 sheet of paper and go bananas, I link thoughts together and allow them to take me off into la la land, this mapping is not a space to judge, it’s a time to play! Put on some tunes, if that helps, get comfy and give yourself a minimum 10 minute window to explore all of the different things your beautiful brain is interested in. This may include artists, themes, colours, sports, names, styles, typefaces, dog breeds, and the fact that you like an organised pantry. Don’t hold back!
3. For the next step I recommend starting a Pinterest account, otherwise grab yourself a bunch of magazines/ books that you can cut up and tear images from. Now it’s time to gather a mass of images that represent those things that you enjoy!
Again, everything is valid. I work through my mind-map a section at a time, putting a few key words into the pinterest search bar and saving any images to a board that I’ve created called ‘Me’.
Wherever the images take me, I follow until I feel the trail has dried up and move onto the next word.
By doing this exercise you are collating a whole list of potential source images to work from, as well as continuing the exercise of self validation. This is not something to gloss over… As you are working through this process, pay attention to all the times your Slug pipes up to tell you to stop. Don’t listen, keep going.
4.Now, print out your top 5 images! The ones that really bloody excite you and get your heart pumping. It doesn’t matter if you think you’ll never be good enough to paint it, or make something like that, it doesn’t matter how tricky it looks or how silly it might be.
A quick note, there’s a few different ways to print from pinterest, and all of them are available via a quick google. My personal favourite is to copy and paste the image into a photoshop file, adjust the size and print from there. You can also copy and paste into word or google drive.
(Honestly, if you are looking to make art regularly, I would recommend you get photoshop, it’s $29 a month and an incredibly useful tool with heaps of free how-to tutorials. #notanad)
I digress.. After you’ve printed your images, stick them up somewhere you are forced to see them, these babies are your inspiration, your muse, they are you! Embrace them, enjoy them, and notice how happy they make you feel.
5. Finally team members, it’s time to make some art! I want you to paint or draw, glue and add glitter ONTO these exact images you’ve printed out. You can stick them onto something hard first if you’d like, like a leftover piece of cereal box, but otherwise go to town and interact with your image. I like to do stuff like this when I’m a bit bored, watching TV, or just needing a bit of a break. I may use paint, but more often than not I use textas, pencils, pastels, anything dry and easy to pack up.
Your ‘work of art’ may very well look like rubbish. Good. You may absolutely blow your socks off and make something glorious. Good. The main point of this exercise is to get you, interacting with YOU. The only original thing left on this planet is our sweet individual selves, so explore who this person is and take nothing for granted! Remember, everything is valid, remember your intention and have a dang good time.
Display, throw away or keep your images, then continue the process until an idea leaps into your brain begging to come to life, then do that!
This is just one exercise that I use with my students struggling to begin an artwork, it’s a fantastic way to get inside our own heads and spend some time with our true desires and pleasures. I hope you enjoy the process as much as we do!
ALi
