Mandyevansartist

EXPANDING YOUR CREATIVITY

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E.X.P.A.N.D.

Growing - expanding - evolving

is not just one of the most important issues of an artist

its the very purpose of our lives



humans started off as cave people not so long ago ... and here we are now

Its pretty obvious that our job here is to evolve



and ARTISTS ... well,.... we are at the very cutting edge of evolution

spending time on self actualisation

right up the top there on Maslows theory of needs



The point of creativity

is to develop and stretch our problem solving muscles

to build, to grow

to become more than what we are



most of humanity live in a state of repeat..repeat..repeat - they never change anything

but an artist ... if your doing it right ... should always be trying to break new ground



constantly expanding your skills and perspectives isnt easy

it can be hard work

and takes an internal passion to keep going



luckily passion is not a gift or a freak occurrence

passion is something you can easily find

....you just have to look for it



The following article has printable worksheets to fill out

they are devised to help you take some practical steps to find what YOU are passionate about

and expand yourself creatively





I relate these steps to the life cycle of a butterfly because they are awesome

And click here to go straight to the bottom of the page to a series of pages to print out and fill in

Step 1: E = EXPAND

the first step is to realise that there is an infinite list of different creative and challenging pursuits out there

in this instance I went to AI for some help to create a list - so some of the the things on here were a surprising inspiration even to me

but in truth this doesnt even touch the surface

so i have left some room for you to add some other things you can imagine to the list

Step 2: X = eXPLODE - eXPLORE - eXITE

this is the vital key to expansion

you have to expose yourself to a variety of different and new things REGULARLY

Its surprising what sorts of things can give you an exciting growth spurt

so the answer is to just give things a go

dabble

and the biggest clue to what suits you is a tingling feeling in your stomach

you can feel what gets your creative spirit interested

FEEL THE CHALLENGE, EXCITMENT and TRANSFORMATION

Step 3: P = PUPATE - PONDER - PLAN

Once you have settled on a medium/challenge/pursuit

its time to make a plan



How many works of art are you intending to make ... I like 10

where are they going to go? ... can you connect your new adventure to a larger picture?



for instance - in my gallery The Art Garden I choose an area and create a plan

this will be a design of metal work or cement sculptures ... something that looks amazing - and something that will push my skills

and then work out how to make it .. even if that means learning to weld

IMAGE



there are a couple of tips on how to approach a new venture

1....Draw Your Plan on a Huge bit of Paper

the bigger the better

it expands you thinking - and its more fun

2....If you are working in a new medium - dont try to reinvent the wheel

choose a work of art that you have really loved in the past - and try to create that in the new medium

Step 4: A = ACCEPT

In this stage of the butterfly lifecycle the caterpiller essentially disolves

it is just goo .... and I think that when you get to this stage of your creative challenge

this is what you have to do too

let go of all of your preconcieved ideas

the negative chatter

or at realise they have no power here



when your mind says.. "you MUST fail" ...well ... this time you have to agree with it

all of the anxiety caused by limiting beliefs are kind of irrelevant when you are failing on purpose

you cant succeed brilliantly when you do something you have NEVER DONE BEFORE

skills take practice

you will fail at first

you HAVE TO



accepting this element of failure is the best lesson of all

it relieves you of expectation .... and this is liberating



just explore and accept

Step 5: N = NEW

After a period of practice you start getting somewhere

your new skills start to emerge



its the learning curve that gives you the impetus to keep going

thats what your doing ... learning

sometimes fast .. sometimes slow

and being aware that ITS NOT EASY can really help



being kind to yourself can help you to make it through this tricky time



I go much further into this stage in the Art Garden Emails if your interested in some longer term help

make rewarding yourself a priority

Step 6: D = DIAMOND

At the end of this journey - you end up as a butterfly

you gained new skills

your flying with a new added perspective



I called this section DIAMOND - for 2 reasons

1.... is because a diamond is made up of many different facets

and thats what a true artist is

multi faceted

and 2.... is because diamonds are a great present

and...this is obviously the most important part

if you achieve any goal ... GET YOUR SELF A PRESENT



so plan for that now ... I always reccomend new art supplies

maybe something different - so you can start this whole process over again

So I hope you enjoy these pages and that they inspire you - and if you would like to join the creative group and upload some art or tell us about your expansive ideas - click here

regards, Mandy

P.S. Whenever you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you expand your creativity

Mandyevansartist Creative Community - Would you like to join our free private Facebook group where we are just about to start a new challenge to share our art - its really inspirational and fun

Art Workshop Books and Courses - Would you like a real workshop books with paint sent to your home? ... or prefer an online digital course? - check out the options

The Art Garden - Would you like All the courses - a healthy art habit , and to constantly expand your creativity? - Get Inspired inside the Art Garden