All too often we are so focused on the outcome of our artwork, we forget to actually enjoy the process. Especially when following my (or any other) tutorials, you may be focused on getting the exact same result. Like I always try to emphasize in my tutorials at least once, your outcome will ALWAYS be different than mine, and that is what is also the fun of alcohol inks. However, I know it can also lead to frustration and self-criticism when things don’t turn out as imagined (trust me, I’ve been there many times). And that is a shame because we should be having fun when creating! In this blog I’ll discuss the concept of mindful creativity and how it can help in enjoying your art process more.
Mindful creativity
Recently I was reading a book from Ellen Langer, who discusses the concept of mindful creativity and I was excited to share it with you. Basically, when we are creating, we can approach the process mindlessly or mindfully.
When we proceed our artwork mindlessly, we are worrying about the exact rules we should be following, the outcome it should lead to, and are less open to changes or unexpected things happening (usually our inks behaving differently than we would like them). This is the process described above, when we get frustrated in the process and stop having fun.
When we learn to approach our process more mindfully, our process is only guided by rules, but we are open to play and experimentation, and are not so much worried about getting a specific outcome. Basically, being mindful, means being present in the moment. Being mindfully creative then means being present in the process of creating. This is often also referred to as being in a flow state. You have probably (hopefully) had that feeling when you are completely lost in the process of creating and you lose track of time and things going on around you. That is when we reach mindful creativity.
Now the more difficult question, how can we more easily get in that flow state and approach our art process with mindful creativity? I got a few tips for you.
Tips for getting in the ink flow
Empty your mind before you start your creative process. Take a walk outside to refresh your mind and start your process with fresh energy or do a short creative meditation or breathing exercise before you start. You do not need to be a spiritual person to meditate, it can simply help you to be more in the moment and less occupied with thoughts and expectations before you start. Julia Cameron, author from the Artist’s Way, advises to sit down before creating and take 10 minutes to just write down anything that’s on your mind to let go of any thoughts and criticism before you start to create. You literally empty your mind!
Tip: Try and do this creative meditation before starting the tutorials and see if it helps you in your process! This is especially fun to do when starting my Free Intuitive Blooms tutorial, that encourages you to go with the ink flow.
Start in a positive vibe. For me, music is my go-to for getting in the flow. It all depends on my mood, but here are a few music tips for during the process:
- Ziggy Alberts is my favorite artist to listen too. Feel-good singer song writer music that helps me get in a positive mood.
- I like to listen to piano music when I want to calm my mind and get in the flow state. Recently I’ve been listening to Austin Farwell, an artist that you may have also heard in some popular Instagram reels. The piano music instantly calms my mind.
- Ever heard of binaural beats? Binaural beats are claimed to lead to a mental state associated with a meditation practice, but much more quickly. There are specific beats that should induce creativity, here is an example. It takes a bit getting used to, but I find it to be quite relaxing. Please note you should be wearing headphones or earphones for this.
Tips for approaching tutorials (and art process in general) more mindfully
- Don’t expect to get a perfect result right away. First of all, ‘perfect’ doesn’t exist, that is a concept we created in our mind of what the outcome should look like. Please know that for all my tutorials, I’ve had countless trial and errors and ugly phases before I created something I was happy with. Repetition is needed to make the techniques your own and with each repetition, it will become easier.
- Take my tips and tricks as guidelines, not as fixed rules you should be following exactly. I always like to emphasize to play and experiment after following the tutorials to make the techniques your own and create your own version of the florals, they don’t need to look exactly like mine.
- Dear to fail! Mistakes are part of the process. I like to think of mistakes as ‘happy accidents’ as famous Bob Ross liked to call them. They are our opportunity to learn. Either we can learn from what went wrong, or we just use our mistake and make it into something else. It’s the mistakes we often learn from most. Failing forward is the way we will each time become better and better and start to manipulate our inks more intuitively.
- Are you getting in that frustrated mood or not sure how to continue with your artwork? Take a break! Go for a walk outside, take in some inspiration and return, or come back the next day with fresh energy. After all, we are here to ENJOY the process!
And yes, I know these are easier said than done 😉 I still fall in all of these traps every once in a while. So I guess that is a good one to end this piece with, remember that EVERY creative struggles with these things!
Wanna read more? These 5 tips for mastering alcohol inks may be helpful as well! Also check out this Free Intuitive Blooms tutorial, that encourages you to go with the ink flow.
