Filling The Creative Well

Happy Hour

© Norma Wilson, original oil on canvas 18" by 24"

Available Through Gallery

So how do artists fill their creative well and stay engaged with their desire to create art day in and day out?  Last week, I wrote about the importance of showing up at your easel on a regular basis, but there are also things outside of the studio that help contribute to keeping things going.  I have been painting now and showing my work for going on sixteen years.  It was easy to stay excited in the beginning as there were so many new subjects to paint and so much to learn. Well, the truth is that there are still many things to paint and much to learn but there are times just like in so many areas of life, that you hit a slump or moods take over and you feel anxious about painting. It can become routine. Exercise is really huge for me. Taking a walk, a bike ride, or a yoga class really helps me have a better frame of mind but there are other things I do as well.  Visiting favorite artists sites to enjoy their works, going to a museum and soaking up the master's works, spending time doing something fun with a friend not art related, painting with friends and soaking up their enthusiasm, giving art lessons and sharing in a new painter's delight as they complete their first painting. I used to go to Barnes and Noble which was close to my house for coffee and flip through all the art magazines I could find. Becoming immersed in all the colors and styles of painting helps to reignite the desire to face a blank canvas and get busy! Sometimes it is just a color combination, great texture, light or a feeling of gratitude for life that can make the shift.  Here are a few examples from my neighborhood walk, my living room that has awesome light, my tastey lunch plate, 

What kinds of things work for you? If you are stuck, you might try some of these things. If all else fails....there's always.....