☆ My Creative Process [Summer of Greatest Hits]

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I hope you are enjoying my Greatest Hits series! This is because I am taking January off + I am currently reading a book, sleeping on the couch, swimming at the pool, or painting in the studio....

These are the posts that have inspired, helped, motivated + encouraged my readers. How do I know this?

Because you told me. In emails, comments or links.


Enjoy....

☆ ☆ ☆

Catching Mermaids

Creativity + the process of creating is a very personal experience. 

And I don't believe there is one right way to create. 

Your process will be different to mine, and different again to the next persons. 

When I believed that I wasn't good enough to be an artist, I was fascinated to read about artist's + their creative process.

I was hoping that one of their stories would trigger a creative response in me. That theirs would be the way, that would allow me to tap into my creativity once again.

What I didn't realise until much later, was that my creative process, would be so individualised to me, that in reading others stories, although there were super inspiring, they wouldn't help me to unlock my creativity. 

They did however keep sparking something inside me that would eventually grow into LilliBean Designs. And it helped me realise that:

Inspiration is every where, and can strike at anytime.

My muses are absolutely my three girls. Their imagination sparks mine all the time. But there are other inspirations, books are another huge inspiration for me, music lyrics, a pattern on the wall from the tree outside, fashion magazines, kids books, manga, a half over heard conversation, a shape of a leaf.

Anything is open to interpretation. 

Princess + the Pea

To capture these wisps of creativity, I have learnt to keep notebooks laying around the house, in my purse, in the car....

{My name is Kirstin + I have a stationary addiction}

But it means that I will never again have an awesome idea, but forget about it in the rush of life.

So, when Bean said off hand one day, 'mama, I am going to get my fishing rod + catch a mermaid.' I wrote it down + the painting above was born.

Most of the time I have an image in my head that I want to paint. I can't see all the details, but the figure, the surround, the general placement of items. Like the 'Princess + the Pea' painting I did earlier this year. This painting I knew from the very start how it would look.

But it took years before I had the confidence or the skill to attempt this painting! 

There are times when I play in my art journal, that I haven't a clue what I am going to create. I just jump in + play. 

Like everyone, I have periods of down time, when I am feeling uninspired, feeling blocked or needing to recharge.

I have learnt to give myself permission to have a break. To sit on the couch + read a good book. To watch a movie. Or watch six seasons of Supernatural back to back. 

Sometimes though, the block is stubborn + I need to actively re-inspire myself. 

In the end, my creative process is different for each painting.

But the one thing that is common to every single painting?

Showing up.

Coming into the studio every day, opening up a fresh page + laying down some paint.

What about you? What is key in your creative processes? I would love to hear your stories.

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☆ Top 10 ways to Beat the Creativity Blues: part two [GREATEST HITS]

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I hope you are enjoying my Greatest Hits series! This is because I am taking January off + I am currently reading a book, sleeping on the couch, swimming at the pool, or painting in the studio....

These are the posts that have inspired, helped, motivated + encouraged my readers. How do I know this?

Because you told me. In emails, comments or links.

Enjoy....

☆ ☆ ☆

MY TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT THE CREATIVITY BLUES 

{part two} {part one here}

6. ALTERING ART...

Once I had a few photos of my family lying around, that I wasn't going to use in frames, the quality wasn't great, or they had printed wonky.

So I glued a few in my sketchbook + found a permanent marker + my extremely cheap metallic gel pens + started to doodle over the photos.

I ended up with some very cool ideas to then translate onto paper. (Bonus - It was super fun + my kids love looking at them!)

7. WEEKLY CHALLENGE SITES...

There are heaps of these around. These are websites which provide you a weekly prompt - usually just a word + it is up to you to create something based on around that word.

My favourite sites are Illustration Friday + Inspiration Avenue - but feel free to share you favuorites in the comments section for others to visit.

I often use these prompts, when I am struggling for ideas. 

You can share your work with others on the sites, but quite often I don't, I just spend a quick ten minutes sketching a picture.

8. ART COURSES...

Again there are so many courses out there, and if you a regular reader of 'Listening to the Squeak', you will know that I have done the LifeBook courses for the last two years.

I love these courses, the many different techniques + different styles of the artists teaching is so inspiring, but the best part of this is following a lesson plan, which if you are in mood you can just follow as is, or taylor to your imagination.

This makes art courses perfect for keeping creative with out having to think of inspiration.

The cost can be prohibitive, but you can find free art courses online - Tam Laporte's Art, Heart + Healing was one that I did early on + was fantastic. 

9. MAGAZINES + CATALOGUES...

You can usually find magazines everywhere, at your mums, your nans, the doctors surgery... 

And every week, we receive half a dozen junk mail catalogues, so if I am running on empty, I will find a picture of a dress I like, a cute wall decal, a tea set - something + I use it as a basis of my sketch.

The sketch on the left was a pose + hair style I liked + on the right, I liked the neck on a dress I found.

It doesn't need to be an elaborate sketch if you don't have time, just enough to give you an idea when you flick through your sketches later.

10. PINTEREST [OR MY FAVOURITE TIME SUCK]...

I hesitated about suggesting this one, the site itself has caused some controversy, but I love using pinterest to spark my creativity.  

I have several boards like a wings + things board or poses board, that I go to for inspiration on days when I am stuck.

But you have to be careful not to spend time mindlessly surfing or you can end up spending hours on there. (time suck!!)

*****

So I hope this has given you some ideas on breaking through those creative dry spells that seem to happen to us all. 

What are your favourite inspiration busters? I would love it if you shared yours with us below.

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☆ Beating the Creative Blues: part one [SUMMER OF GREATEST HITS]

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For the first time I am taking the whole of January off. I don't really have any plans - I am working on being spontaneous this year.... well I will let you know how that goes! 

I had this idea. (Did you know that Mac is putting this on my grave stone??)

Anyway January is a time of creating new habits, reflecting on the past year/ years, sometimes as it is the depths of the season (Summer for me + Winter for many of you) it is hard to get motivated to move. 

So my idea is this: I'm going to share with you some of the posts that have been the most inspiring for readers. These are the posts that I have had people personally contact me about. And I want to revisit some earlier work, share some of the paintings in progress that and some other bits + pieces.

I hope you enjoy this Greatest Hits series + I will return with fresh ideas + content in February.

☆ ☆ ☆

MY TOP 10 WAYS TO BEAT THE CREATIVITY BLUES 

{part one}

1. TAKE THE DAY OFF...

WHAT? 

Seriously take the day off.

Do not go near your work space or sketchbook. Shut the door, close the book and take the day off. But the most important part of this is to LET GO OF THE GUILT + WORRY.

Instead do something different, something you don't normally do - go for a walk, read a book, visit a park with a coffee or watch a movie. 

Stepping out of your routine + taking the day off can open yourself up to new inspiration.

2. DOODLE, ZENTANGLES + MANDALAS....

These are such great ways of letting your mind wander, I find them almost meditative, and often once I have spent just ten minutes doing one of these, I am open to new ideas + solving problems that have been worrying me, and unblocking my creativity.

There are so many 'how to's' when you Google any of these terms + so many free template downloads you can fill in. This is one of my favourite inspiration busters.

3. VISIT THE LIBRARY...

or bookshop, or second hand book store or charity shops. 

But instead of the how to books or art books, go to the children's sections and look at the beautiful illustrations in their books.

I love doing this, and often drag my kids to the library under the guise of borrowing books for them, but I am actually choosing books whose illustrations sparked inspiration.

4. YOUTUBE...
There are so many how to tutorials out there on YouTube. And definitely worth watching - my favourites are this one + this one.

5. USING A DIFFERENT STYLE...
Sometimes, I just need to do something a little different.

I have often done several quick sketches of cutesy mermaids, pirate queens or zombie queens (not my usual stuff).

Sometimes, I draw disney princess for my girls to colour in. Anything to just keep my creative brain going.


Make sure you come back next week for the rest of my favourite ways to beat the creativity blues, but I would love to know What your favourite inspiration busters are? I would love it if you shared yours with us below.

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