Creativity is an aspect of identity development. Artistic self-expression contributes to maintaining or reconstructing a positive identity and improving skills. To practice visual art in any form is often to express who you are without words. That shit's hard!
Overpainting happens because we don't know how to edit our choices yet or haven't mastered composition, and we add more because the work feels like it's missing something.
There are so many ways the art & design industries focus on having a distinct style, and it's such a false expectation for artists' to focus their attention. Unfortunately, many artists can get lost in this land of "standing out" or "being different" in the wrong ways, and the obsession with finding your style will close you off to exploring beyond your skillset.
Abundant thinking allows you to be more authentic in your work; it gives you the space to think and believe in your art. It gives you the freedom to decide based on your vision rather than your fear. If you approach your work from a place of abundance, you’ll be open to expressing yourself more effectively because you’re allowing yourself to go deeper.
I can honestly say I learned nothing about what it takes to be an artist from art school; that knowledge only came from trying and failing over and over.
Sketching on the go is one of my favorite ways to expand my creative vision. There is nothing like sitting on the bank of a river or a bench in a city park, throwing down colors and marks in real-time, watching light create shadows, color combinations, and lines right before your eyes. I hate being cliché and saying it's magical, but it is.
