By Courtney Titus
As an artist, do you ever feel burnt out and wonder if a good idea will ever come to you again? No matter what field you work in or what your interests are in, I think it is safe to say that almost everyone has hit a point where it feels impossible to create. My name is Courtney Titus and I am majoring in Community Arts and Arts Management at Miami University. I hope to be working in an art museum or gallery environment where I will be surrounded by art and inspiration, but being a part of the business aspect of these organizations might make it difficult to want to keep creating art myself. This has me thinking about and wanting to share different things you can do every day to keep your creative juices flowing and stay motivated to create.
One exercise to achieve this goal is to make a drawing everyday, no matter how small it is or what it is. It can be as simple as setting up a still life of a mug or whatever you have near you and making a sketch of it. It is an easy and quick way to improve your drawing skills and you do not have to make up an idea of what to draw and instead just choose something right in front of you.
Another exercise I have found helpful is to do something that excites you. My personal interest lies in fine art, so I find myself most inspired while visiting art museums and galleries but this exercise can work with any interests you have. If you insert yourself into a passion of yours, this can lead to you getting back on track to feeling inspired again.
A tip I have been working on is setting daily intentions for yourself and what you wish to achieve. If this is one of the first things you do when you wake up, you are more likely to feel good about your day, feel confident that you will accomplish what you set out to do, and it focuses your mind on what you want to improve which can be working on ways to express your creativity.
Collaboration is another key aspect in exercising your creativity. Bouncing ideas off of others can bring to light new ideas that you had not thought of before. They can also complete an idea that you are struggling with and suggest changes on how to improve. Brainstorming with others is a great way to quickly come up with ideas, continue to add on to these ideas, and see things from different perspectives.
The most important lesson I have learned is to not be afraid of failure. There may be a fear of what you are working on not turning out how you want it to. This could possibly keep you from creating your favorite project you have ever made. Even if it does not turn out to be exactly how you envisioned it to be, it is still better than creating nothing at all.
Creativity is used in a lot more areas of life than just art. I often hear people claim to not be creative just because they do not create art. Creativity is a trait that everyone has but it is up to you to expand it and mindfully use it in your everyday life. Keeping an open mind can go a long way in believing in yourself and the work that you do. Hopefully these tips I have shared can help you on your creativite journey as much as they have helped me.
Courtney Titus is a junior at Miami University and is majoring in Community Arts with a co-major in Arts Management. Her interest lies in fine arts and anything nature related. She is excited to graduate next winter and begin her career with an arts organization.
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