10 Things to Know About Art and Self-Expression
To many, art and seem like esoteric concepts. Only those with the “right gifts” can create a masterpiece. While there is much skill and experience involved in creating a timeless work of art, that doesn’t mean you should give up your hopes of creating a beautiful artistic piece. In fact, self-expression through art is an excellent way to both have fun, and help your mental health. Expressive art is not about rules and guides, and its only limit is your own imagination.
1. Art and Rules
Sometimes, it is easy to feel held back when trying to create art, whether it is poetry, painting, or any other creative medium. This can be caused by feeling like you don’t understand the rules associated with art. With self-expression, you can forget about the rules. This is about creating something which is a reflection of you, not following guidelines to reach technical perfection.
2. Emotional Self-Expression
Don’t be afraid to feel. Let your emotions guide how you create the art. This will benefit your mental health, as it can help you find some catharsis in your work. Use the art to let go of harmful, bottled-up feelings.
3. Take Risks
We can hold ourselves back by wanting to stay “safe” with art. We try to fall back on our preconceived notions of what others think art should be, or never reveal much about ourselves in our work. When creating self-expressive art, you can feel comfortable taking risks. This is art which should mean something to you, without fear of what others think.
4. Spontaneous Art
You don’t have to rely on preexisting symbolism. Create art out of an impulse, if you want to, and create personal symbolism to appeal to your own mental state. Once you try it, you will see how freeing spontaneous art can be.
5. Discover Yourself
It is possible to learn many things about yourself through your art. Self-expressive art helps you figure out yourself, and even find new depths to your thinking you might not have realized were there.
6. Ask Thought-Provoking Questions
In some cases, asking yourself about the “why” behind certain behaviors you have can help you create more expressive art. Be brave, and dig deep. You will learn much about your thoughts and actions, and can begin to translate it to your preferred artform.
7. Be Imaginative
This goes hand in hand with breaking the rules. If there aren’t any preexisting ideas which can convey your message, then look for unconventional ways to do so. What matters is it that your art makes sense to you.
8. Make Mistakes
Fear of failure can often make us feel like giving up. The only “failure” in expressive art is not trying in the first place. If you make a mistake while creating your art, learn from it, and don’t let it bother you. All that matters is you letting your creativity flow.
While you will want to get out of your comfort zone sometimes to express what you want to express, you can still relax. Don’t let tenseness be your “creativity killer.” Don’t pressure yourself, or let others pressure you.
10. Most Importantly, Express Yourself!
Let the art be emblematic of you, because when all is said and done, this art is for you. Self Expression Art Book>>
If you want to know more about expressive art, contact Tulsa Stained Glass.