You may find this odd but as I run my creative studio, Carlita Hearts, I sometimes fall into the trap of not painting or creating any art. There are some periods in the year where I am busy packaging for wholesale orders or markets, creating content or writing my weekly newsletter, or enjoying a holiday break with my family.
It's funny how I have realised that I need to schedule and protect a little part of my week to just paint. To carve out time to make art. And one of the helpful ways I have approached it is by forming a habit around making art.
Whether you're keen to create your own rhythm for making art, or you're curious to hear my tips, then read on and I hope they will leave you inspired to embark on your own creative journey.
01 | Keeping supplies limited
In general, I do encourage keeping a limited amount of art supplies in one's studio. It takes a lot of restraint when browsing through an art supply store and while I have accumulated a few painting goodies, I seem to reach for similar items - a handful of brushes, certain watercolour paper and a set of good quality watercolour paints. It is good to notice what you enjoy and stick to that where you can. Have fun creating a 'capsule art supply' collection to reduce the friction when wanting to paint!
My family and I enjoy camping in the summer months and I discovered another challenge. I would pack a whole bunch of sketchbooks of different sizes, different brushes and paints to paint while we're away. And after our camping trips? I made absolutely nothing. There were just too many options. Funny how that happens, right?
So, again, when I am away, I’ve decided to take a similar approach and pack in one of each thing I need - a small sketchbook, a waterbrush (to eliminate the need for a water jar), one set of watercolour paints and a few pencil crayons for sketching. This helps reduce decision fatigue of what to use and then I can get on with painting.
Try limiting your supplies and watch your creativity flourish.
02 | Commit to a gentle challenge
I say gentle, because I actually want to enjoy making art and I want it to be a delightful practice - not feel like it's a burden or put unnecessary pressure on my creativity. I'm sure you can understand.
But sometimes, having a deadline or dotting your calendar with regular art dates can help you sit and create. Consider brainstorming some ideas and parameters for your gentle challenge:
+ think of a theme you want to explore
+ write a list of ideas down
+ commit to painting for 10 minutes on a certain day
+ determine how many paintings you'd like to paint within a certain time frame
Don't worry about the outcome - the outcome is whether you painted. And if you missed your date? Just move on, and get back to creating.
My gentle challenge for this year is to share a new art print in my shop every last Friday of the month.
03 | Discover tangible sources of inspiration
Sure, Pinterest is great for browsing and gathering initial ideas, but I would encourage that from time to time to turn off the digital devices and turn towards what catches your eye in your life.
Is it the view outside your bedroom window? The smell of your morning coffee? The way your baby giggles at a stuffed animal? The texture of a silk scarf? Or perhaps, the taste of a delicious baked treat?
Think of using all five senses, and not just your sight, to discover interesting observations. When we stop to notice these small, maybe even mundane things that happen in our lives, you'll start discovering a treasure trove of inspiration.
At the moment, I'm enjoying paging through books, noticing colour palettes of outfits and landscape views when we're camping, on walks or my travels.
04 | Pair it with something delightful
Is it habit stacking or, habit snacking? Ha!
One of the ways you can make art even more appealing to do on a regular basis is to pair it with some enjoyable - something delicious, your favourite music or setting the vibe.
Making the art should be enough of a joyful act, but sometimes one needs a little more encouragement.
Here are some of my delightful ideas to pair with your art making
+ a baked treat
+ a yummy drink (preferably placed far away from your water jar, IYKYK)
+ use your favourite mug each time you paint
+ a fun playlist by your favourite artist, band or genre
+ curate a playlist for your painting sessions
+ use a set of noise cancelling headphones
+ light a candle
+ place a fresh bunch of flowers or botanicals on your desk
+ try painting somewhere new
+ wear something cosy
05 | Plot your energy (high / mid / low)
This sounds odd, but hear me out. Every day is not the same, and sometimes you may have the energy to paint a full painting, and other days all you want to do is paint simple lines.
Jot down ideas of what you could paint at different energy levels so that you are prepared when you sit down to paint. A high energy activity can be completing a full piece, a mid energy activity can be starting a piece but not finishing it and a low energy activity can be making simple marks across your page. This will help combat any feelings of frustration when you want to paint and put too much pressure on yourself to do too much.
By honouring your energy levels, you'll be able to enjoy keeping art-making a habit and not a chore.
Choose just one of these tips and see where it will take you on your creative journey.
DOWNLOADÂ Getting Started With Watercolour Checklist from The Artful Library
SHOP the first art print released as part of my gentle challenge for Making Art A Joyful Habit