Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Creative Life


    Today in art class I taught a very important lesson.
    Being Creative.

    I'm so sick of hearing "I suck at art." "I can't draw." "I am not creative enough." 
    I hear this daily. And from 5 class periods. 
    By the end of the day I just want to say, "STOP!" 

    So, today I stood up in front of class and did just that.
    Stop putting limits on yourself.
    I shared with my classes this advice, and I felt like you should hear it too.

    Tips For Living A Creative Life



    Always be Creating. Don't just use a phone or computer to write your ideas down. I always use old fashioned pen and paper.  Something about holding a pencil in your hand gets the ideas flowing. Constantly be doodling or taking notes. Make things, draw, write, take photos, always have your brain and your hands moving. This is like writing our dreams and ideas down, the more we do it, the more we train our brain to give us ideas.

    At this point I showed some of the students just how much I  carry with me in my purse. Two hard bound sketchbooks, a dream journal, a regular journal, a pack of pencils and pens, and note cards. Just in case. 


    Don’t let people categorize you.  This is my favorite one. When we reach a certain age people are often “boxed” into categories. These “boxes” are exactly what they sound like. We are boxed in, and that stifles creativity. Don’t let anyone categorize you, or give you a name other than your own or a number.  When someone tries to categorize me, I reply with, "No, I am Rachael." Never ever let anyone take your identity away from you. Never let anyone put you in a category and box you in.

    Maintain Your Childhood Spirit.  If you lose this, you are losing a huge part of your life. All kids when they are young are creative geniuses.  Then at a certain age, the art gets beaten out of them.  They are told they can’t draw, and soon they believe it. Look at your surroundings with eyes of wonder and awe. This world truly is magical. Laugh often, play often, and be happy.

    Practice Mindfulness and meditation.  Be in the present moment, look at things in new ways and soak up you surroundings. Sounds, people and images are there to inspire you. Time spent spacing out, sleeping, dreaming and looking is the most valuable time there is.



    10 comments:

    1. This is my whole philosophy on life!

      and exactly what I am trying to share with the world, and offer advice about through my blog - the painting bee. It would mean a lot to me if you'd check it out.
      Creating is really the best thing a person can do for themselves. I believe that whole heartedly

      I love the way you put this. Thank you

      http://thepaintingbee.blogspot.com/

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    2. Great post - thank you for sharing!

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    3. Thanks for sharing, just what I needed.

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    4. Ah yes! For a couple of years I had the urge to paint but I didn't because I kept telling myself I wasn't a painter and that I never did any good at art at school. Then I finally bit the bullet and when and did it and I loved it. Were the paintings good? Doesn't matter it was the process that counts.

      I think many people tell themselves they aren't creative but what they need to do is change their definition of creative. Some people are creative by solving problems or fixing things, others are creative using words and paint.

      http://kymmiew.blogspot.com.au/

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    5. very good advice! im sure u are an awesome teacher! and kids NEED encouragement, no matter what they are doing. good job!

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    6. Thank you so much for posting this Rachael! It's always nice to be reminded... seems so often these simple things go overlooked and are taken for granted!

      I stopped carrying my journal/sketch books with me recently because my bag got way too heavy... this is a reminder that I need to re-prioritize my load and reincorporate those things! I've definitely had more than a few moments that I missed out on recording an inspiration!

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    7. This is exactly what I needed to hear today! ♥ I carry journals, pens, a travel watercolor kit and a travel watercolor journal in my purse....never use a bit of it. I need to just *do* it instead of being scared to do so. ♥

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    8. Great advice! I'm constantly reminding and telling others that creativity and art can be expressed through almost any medium from chalk art, photography, mixed media, etc. In my field I meet so many young people who are discouraged cause they aren't whizs at the software programs or they aren't master artists. I'm like look..the great thing about art is that it can't and shouldn't be defined.

      So again good work...let today's youth know their are no boundaries to how you can express creativity. :)

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