Getting started on Creativity

The Joyful Creative

How do you get started if you’re keen to pick up a creative pursuit but don’t know where to start? From online resources to listening to the quiet voice within, I give you some ideas to get you going on your creative journey.

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TRANSCRIPT

Well, hi there again, and welcome to another episode of the joyful creative. Many listeners to this podcast would already have a creative passion that is their go-to thing that they do when, when they get time. And maybe they're listening to this podcast because they want some tips and ideas and encouragement and inspiration on how to make the time and how to justify the time to do the thing that they're really drawn to do. But what if you're keen to try a creative activity, but you just don't know what to do or where to start. Well, in today's episode, I have some tips to get you going.

So the first tip is do some soul searching. I know this might sound a little woo woo. But. Sit quietly and take a breath. And ask yourself, what have I always wanted to try? Because chances are, there is a spark of an idea that's been lurking around in the back of your mind for years, maybe since you were a child. Maybe it's something you did try as a child, but you stopped because you thought you were bad at it. Or maybe someone actually told you and you believed them. But when it comes to creativity, the standard you're at is completely irrelevant unless you want to make money from it. And even that's subjective. So please don't let your own opinion of whether you're good at it or not to, stop you from having a crack. Creativity is for your own personal joy and nothing more. So, if you think you'll enjoy something, do it. And don't be too cool for school and think, oh, now I'm an adult, I should be doing oil painting landscapes or charcoal life drawing. If you want to finger paint or draw, stick figures in the sand, go for it. As I said before, listen to the quiet voice within and act on that rather than using any mature logic at all.

Number two. If you're not hearing anything from your quiet voice go out and look for inspiration. Go to galleries or music performances. Or art supplies stores.. in Australia, Spotlight, Officeworks, and Bunnings also now have art and craft supplies sections which actually have some good stuff there for beginners. Obviously if, uh, you know, you want to go straight to professional standard, you might want to go to something a little bit more specialized, but you can get a lot of stuff in the craft and art supplies sections of these general big box stores. So wonder around those aisles and see what you're inspired by. YouTube has heaps of videos, Pinterest… There's plenty of online resources. I guess what you'd need to do is have a bit of an idea so that you can search something. For example, if you thinking you want to play guitar, then that's an easy search. Then you can just choose what sort of style you want, or if it's visual art or a craft or a fiber art or something like that and you just want to narrow it down. Putting a search into YouTube or Pinterest will certainly come up with heaps of options and ideas. And what I suggest you do is when you're going through this process, be really present to your intuition. And when you come across something that just makes your heart stop and you just suddenly feel really excited in your gut and it lights you up, investigate further with this, because it's probably going to lead you to the thing that you're really going to enjoy.

Number three, take a class or a workshop. Workshops are less of a commitment and they allow dipping of the toe into the medium or the art form because it's probably just a three hour or one session thing, as opposed to committing to a whole term of classes. But it's completely up to you obviously. And you can do these in-person and online. There are heaps of how to videos on YouTube as you probably know. There's also a platform called Skillshare. And you pay a subscription and you can take a class in, well, pretty much anything, and it's not just creative things. It's also things like, um, like podcasting. Or copywriting or some technical things as well.

But if you search macrame you'll find heaps of lessons or classes. So they're all presented by various artists and tutors, and they all have different lengths. So you really want to go into it you might want to choose a one and a half hour class, but if you just want something kind of basic, then there might be something that's a little bit shorter. But yeah, Skillshare is a good resource.

Also many artists offer online workshops and classes. So if you're on Instagram, for example, and you're really loving the work of a particular artist, if you go into their profile, there's a high chance that they might be offering an online course or a workshop that you could take. And if you're already interested in that artist, chances are you'll enjoy there technique and learning what they do.

Number four, invest small. So just buy what you need for one project. So don't go buying all the yarn in the wool shop even though they're all gorgeous colors and it's all exciting. I would suggest just keep it small. You can always go back if you do decide you like knitting or whatever the project is. You can also look on marketplace for secondhand goods. A lot of people are getting rid of things that they thought they were going to keep doing and decided not to. So, yeah, quick marketplace search or Gumtree, or one of those platforms will probably offer quite a selection of art supplies or musical instruments or anything that somebody had a crack at creatively and decided that's not for them, but maybe it's for you now. So starting with a small investment means you won't feel the pressure to continue if you find that you don't like it and to drawn to a different medium. And pivoting is okay. Sometimes the barrier to starting is the commitment or the perceived large outlay. So just start small and just get going.

Number five. Coloring books. If you're really stuck for ideas and you just want to get started try coloring. It's such a relaxing and mindful activity. And the great thing is that there are just a few creative decisions to make. For example, what medium are you using? Pencils, texters, colored pens. And then you can choose your colors and the placement as in. Are you going to do it pink on one side and red on the other, or how are you going to place the colors? So that's only really three creative decisions you've had to make. And this can really awaken your creative thinking without the decision fatigue of just starting with a whole blank canvas. Coloring's also quite portable and it's a low investment.

I've actually released a coloring book this year. It's called It Starts With A Heart. It's available on Amazon, but I will link it in the show notes. And if you're in the Brisbane area, I will be bringing a giant coloring page to the Rest, Easy Expo on the 24th of August at Technology Park. Now this expo is all about promoting quality sleep and it will feature heaps of vendors who offer goods and services for relaxation and wellbeing. So my coloring page will be a free activity for all attendees who want to come and take a little time out and relax with some coloring in. I can't wait to see what it looks like at the end of the day, when thousands of people have come and contributed to this giant coloring page, it will be really exciting. So come along if you're Brisbane based. Tickets are now available. They're just $10 for entry. And I'll add that link to the show notes as well. I'll also be presenting a modified version of my mindful creativity workshop, which will also be free. And that could be a great way to get started on creativity if you use it to get started. Or if you're simply curious as to what a mindful creativity workshop is.

So they are just a few tips or ideas on how to get started with a creative pursuit. I'm really excited for you. And if you do get started on something, please do send me a message or an email. I'd love to hear from you and what you've decided to do creatively.

And just lastly, remember pivoting is okay. You might go through a series of interests, like a serial creator, I like to call them, before you find your thing and that's okay. I've actually pivoted three times in the last few years after practicing textile art for a decade, which I thought I would always do. And I'm one of those people who still has a stash of fabrics and all my materials from the textile art days, because I'm just not quite ready to let all that go yet and I might go back to it, but for the moment I’m enjoying exploring other mediums. And, you know, It's my creative practice.

So I wish you all the best finding your creative path. And remember there are no rules and it's all part of the creative journey. Just follow the little voice as I always say. So I hope you found this helpful and I'll see you in the next episode until next time. Bye. For now.

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