A For Artist – Episode 1 of The A to Z of Creativity
A For Artist – Episode 1 of The A to Z of Creativity
Welcome to Episode 1 of the new series on The Frangipani Creative Podcast. This is a series of 26 episodes – one for each letter of the alphabet – What can you expect? Ideas, tips, inspiration, conversations with the central theme being creativity. I strongly believe that being creative is not a hobby or a calling for some – it is a way of life – that we are all called to.
Before I go further, you might like to find a paper or pencil to do the exercise at the end of each episode. If you don’t have access to that, don’t worry, you will find a transcript of each episode on my website. I will give you the details at the end of this episode.
Today we’re on the first letter of the alphabet – A. A for Artist.
Do you consider yourself an artist? I’m sure there are some of you who will say, “Yes, I am an artist. I draw. I paint. I make beautiful murals. I sing beautifully. I play the veena brilliantly.” Others are going to respond, “Absolutely not! I can’t draw to save my life. I’m really not good at anything creative. There’s no way, I’d call myself an artist!”
But what if I told you that whether you can draw or not, whether you can sing, write, dance or not, YOU ARE AN ARTIST. An artist – is someone who creates. And you are a creator. You’ve always been a creator. You probably created a loud noise the moment you were out of your mother’s womb and have been creating something or the other ever since.
Remember all those scribbles, sketches, little play doh creations, you made? Remember those sand castles, those flower garlands, those sketches you made on wet mud with a stick? You made things. You created things!
At first you were incredibly happy with what you made. You enjoyed the process of creation. But then you started to judge. You started to say, “This is good, and this is bad.” You allowed other people to judge you. You forgot the joy of the creative process.
Pablo Picasso said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
It’s simple. We reclaim our childlike joy in creating. We don’t care about the outcome. We revel in the process.
I know I’m not a (in inverted commas) ‘good’ artist, but I enjoy playing around with paints and colour. There’s so much of joy in this process. I’m not a great cook, but I love creating dishes based on memory and what I think might work. I have slowly been reaffirming to myself that I am an artist. I have been enjoying the process of creation.
Exercise (you need a pen and paper / book at the end of this)
Today I invite you too to remind yourself that you are an artist. You are a creator. Let’s do a small exercise.
Close your eyes. Take deep breaths. Place yourself in your mind’s eye. Feel your feet touching the ground/ the carpet. Feel your bottom touching the chair you are sitting on.
Centre yourself.
Think of the last time you really felt creative
Rewind.
Recall this time when you felt really creative
Pause
When was it?
Date?
Check the place
Details of setting
Time of day
Sounds
What are you wearing?
How old are you?
How do you feel about yourself?
What’s your emotional state
Soak up any details you can find.
Soak up sensory information – the feeling in your hands, your feet, your body…
Gently open your eyes
Write about this.
This is your reminder that you are an artist.
That’s it for today.
You can find the transcript for this podcast on my website The Frangipani Creative – look at the menu bar on top and select – The Frangipani Creative Podcast.
If you have any questions or feedback, you can message me via the contact form on my website.
Bye for now. Talk to you next week.
[…] Episode 1 – A for Artist […]