The Creative Journey

I have heard many creative people state that the hardest thing to face is a blank piece of paper. Getting an idea out of your head and onto the paper can feel like a daunting task. Where to begin? How to get things rolling? How to take what I think and turn it into a tangible work of art? And how do I live with the difference between what I wanted to happen and what I am able or willing to execute?

In addition to facing a blank page, choosing the tools with which you want to work can seem overwhelming. Sometimes there are too many choices, too many options, too many wonderful ways to navigate and deliver what you want. How do you narrow down or eliminate options without limiting your idea? And how do you know which tools will work before you get started?

Just get something, anything down on paper. Sketch it out, draw a rough draft, write the first sentence. Do a brain dump and get all the ideas out there. I know one artist who puts each idea on a post it note then moves them around until she likes the order. She then takes the portions she likes and begins to write, leaving the other ideas on the wall for possibilities in the future. I know another artist that tests all her tools on a test piece of paper she plans to use for the piece. That way she knows which tools work which way on the paper, which tools still function or need to be replaced, and which ones work together to create the color scheme she wants. And I now a third creative that gathers all sorts of photos and magazine pictures to inspire her to create. She puts them on a wall and that encourages her to get her idea on paper.

No matter how you plan or what the idea, life will work hard to get in your way. Circumstances will arise, urgent will want to disrupt the important, and daily responsibilities of life will call you away from being creative. When you believe that the idea in your head is important enough to put it out there, that is when you will begin the creative journey. You may not think you are creating the next Mona Lisa or writing a world changing story, it doesn’t matter. My guess is that Michelangelo did not think he was painting a masterpiece, to him it was a simple portrait. Don’t let the pulls of your own reality prevent you from delivering on your own idea. You don’t have to start out painting for the world, you may simply be painting or writing for yourself. And guess what? You are important enough and worthy of creating work if it is only for yourself.

Each of us has a creative journey. Each of us has to start somewhere. Each of us has to truly believe that our work is worth the expense, the supplies, the investment of time, and the focus. We have to know that what is in our heads is worthy and important enough to get out for ourself and maybe the world to experience.  The idea that is haunting you is haunting you for a reason. Let it out, flush out the details. Give yourself and your idea time to develop and grow by making mistakes and revising it one more time. Don’t let the white piece of paper or overwhelming number of art supplies hamper your ability to create. Just do it. Get started on your creative journey by taking that first step…then the second step…then the third. Getting started can be the hardest part, but once you get those juices flowing – watch out! A true masterpiece is on it’s way.