Artistic hunger

Finding your passions and fueling them in the right direction.

Have you ever had that feeling? That burning rushing of inspiration and passion to do something creative with so much need that it feels like your heart would break apart if something stopped you? That’s how I felt about this painting.

It was 2 a.m. and even though I was supposed to finish a different painting that I had already started, I barely touched it because my head and heart were crying out for this one special scene.  I had already wasted 2 to 3 hours barely putting any paint on the piece I was trying to finish, So what did I do you ask?

Well, I began preparing my palate right away for this large canvas before the feelings faded of course. As I began brushing the pthallo blue on the canvas that artistic hunger of mine was just eating it up like I eat cheesecake!

I have to constantly feed my artistic hunger, I try to everyday and lucky for me, I get to since my education and work encompass art and creativity.

Because if I don’t feed it, the poor thing starves and slowly fades into an artists block. Now this is not the same with every artist and creative out there. Some people can work six months straight on their art and then for another six months not make any art.

Others like me need to and want to do it daily or as much as possible because we come up with so many ideas that we believe are fantastic that we have to make them! The problem with this is that If we don’t finish each work quick enough we have many unfinished works to catch up on eventually. (I’m guilty of having around 15-19 unfinished paintings)

1. Keep a notebook or a piece of paper by your bedside.

I don’t know about y’all, but for me some of my greatest creations and ideas happen either right as I’m about to go to sleep or when I’m dreaming. And I used to not jot down my ideas and now I regret it because I’ve lost some great creations and dreams that now are just hazy fragmented memories.

2. Keep a sketchbook with you everywhere.

Make sure that you keep a sketch or notebook on you all the time, it needs to be small enough to take everywhere with you but also large enough for you to comfortably jot down any possible ideas you have. Inspiration is a strange thing, you can look at a group of dogs playing and then imagine then all playing poker like humans.

I’ve recently looked at an abstract painting with real baby’s breath detailing, this gave me an idea to paint a woman with a flower Afro. You never know what will inspire you or when you will be inspired so hang on to your sketch book and even if you think that you will remember the idea still jot down the details or the sketch. (Or you’ll forget something important)

3. Create everyday!

I’m challenging y’all to start sketching, sculpting, painting, writing, filming, or just doodling everyday because the more art you do and the more you practice the better you’ll get as an artist I guarantee it. Now don’t expect a dramatic change in talent overnight either because everyone progresses at a different pace.

Whether you are in a meeting and are about to fall asleep, in class, bored at home, or need to pour your emotions out. Use this then just start creating, that’s how you will begin to motivate yourself more and more to create regularly.

They say that the more you feed yourself(mentally, physically, healthwise) the more you crave it. Its wonderful to have passions, but it’s dangerous to have obsessions and critical to know the difference. So when you find your passion be wise and watch yourself and your actions, because an obsession can be quite harmful not only to you be to others as well.

So while you enjoy yourself with what you do, keep boundaries like in healthy relationships, you need for the better for the both of you to grow.

” Sometimes what you’re afraid of most is the very thing that will set you free!”

What’s something that you are passionate about? Have you ever had an experience like I did when I made the dancing whales? Let me know in the comments below!