Take a walk with me, won’t you? Not a physical walk, a mental walk. Take me on a journey through your creative process – one creative move at a time. One brush stroke, one stitch, one musical note, one press on the keyboard at a time. Let me follow your choices and the commentary that accompanies them. Let me see the relationship you have with your own artform and your own creative spirit. How will I find it, you ask? Easy. I’ll listen to the way you talk to yourself while you’re creating.
Too often, I think we take for granted our stream-of-consciousness that ceaselessly makes itself known while we engage in life. It’s as if we just assume it will be there and say whatever it wants. It’s as if we’re the victim. Well, that’s the way it can be if we don’t seize control of the process and make sure that our running commentary is truly serving our creative efforts.
Let’s explore what this looks like in practice. One of my recent projects involved restoring and reinventing an old quartersawn oak table. I decided to paint some whimsical flowers around the entire apron and a large-scale floral centerpiece on the top. For the apron, I created a harlequin diamond backdrop for each flower and then bravely set out to freehand each flower straight out of my imagination. It was a thrilling endeavor! The most difficult moments came, however, when I caught my inner commentary trying to sabotage my efforts.
It sounded like this: “Watcha doing there? That’s not even a real flower species. Oh, boy. You’re jumping right in with red paint? That’s too bold. You’ll regret that. Isn’t your hand starting to feel shaky?” SHUT UP! Yes, that’s how I had to respond at that moment. I had to silence the commentary that wasn’t serving or supporting me. I knew that I needed a free-flowing brain and relaxed energy while painting those flowers, and all of the controlling comments were uncalled for. So I stepped in (yes, I intervened in my own thought process and, yes, it is possible) and set some boundaries.
Sound familiar? If you can hear the negative labels creeping into your creative process, what kind of boundaries can you set for yourself to keep the negativity at bay? What sort of “pregame ritual” could you employ before you start creating to put yourself into a positive, playful, and possibility-minded state? These mood makers matter, and they can shape your mental vocabulary into a force for good!
By the way, here are a few pictures from the table project. Enjoy!
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