Get a Life (Outside of Your Creative One)

I used to think that the longer and harder I worked, the better my art would be. What I have discovered over the years though, has contradicted that belief. As I have gotten older, I have become a lot more aware of how I use my time and energy. While painting is something that my mind and soul needs, I am still human and it’s important to give myself other things and experiences. All work and no play makes me…well…a dull artist.

We need to interact with our worlds and have different experiences in order to find inspiration. I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually feel very inspired after sitting on the couch binging a tv show all day. But if I spend just thirty minutes listening to new music, taking a walk in the woods, or reading, I am filled with little sparks of inspiration.

One unexpected thing that has helped my creative practice is running. I trained and ran a half marathon in 2018. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with it, especially my long run days. There is something so unexpectedly necessary about moving my body and allowing my mind to wander as my feet move rhythmically beneath me. 

I also love to be anywhere outdoors. If I am in the studio for too long, I swear my stomach starts to feel strange and my body feels sluggish. I began visiting hiking trails close to my home with my oldest son, Theo, particularly during 2020 when we didn’t feel it was safe to do a whole lot indoors. It was really cool to feel the effects of nature and to witness them take hold in my child as well. 

The pandemic brought to light just how important it is for me to spend time with others in order to be creative. Even if it was only on the phone or via Zoom, talking to someone who doesn’t live with me can feel rejuvenating. We are social creatures and we blossom when we spend time with people we enjoy. If I spend too long in my own head without any new ideas entering organically, my imagination and thought processes go stale. After all, other people are full of thoughts and ideas that have never crossed my mind.

When I feel stuck or am lacking inspiration, I try to go somewhere or do something new or different. Though we may think non-artistic interests take time from our creative practices, those versatile activities actually fuel our creativity, igniting new thoughts, ideas, and energy into our work. The life I live outside of my role as an artist as just as important to my creative practice as the hours I spend in the studio.