I am full on wintering these days, hibernating if you will especially with all this snow we’re getting hit with. Unplugging from social media has much as I can and devouring Amie McNee’s We Need Your Art book.
I got it for Christmas and it is so much better than I expected. A battle cry for the creative according to Matt Haig (another great author).
In it, she suggests this idea of a creative reset; a two week “challenge” of doing the bare minimum with your art. If you’re feeling stuck or needing inspiration, she suggests trying this out. You can create whatever rules or guidelines you’d like but the key is to make them as easy as possible so you don’t have to think about it. Do the bare minimum. I’m about half way through my two weeks and here are the rules I set for myself:
Paint for 15 minutes a day, not a minute more
Only paint with the color Payne’s Gray.
Let me tell ya, it has been revolutionary for me and something I will definitely revisit from time to time. It’s allowed me to keep creativity at the top of my priority list while getting other things done. It’s taken the guesswork out of painting which ties me up a lot of the time. I can’t focus on perfection because I’ve only got 15 minutes.
I love working with Payne’s Gray especially for this because all I’ve really been focusing on while I paint is lights and darks, highlights and shadows.
If you’re feeling stuck or need somewhere to start with your creativity or want to pick it up again, try it out! It’s so fun.
Comments (0)