What does it mean to make art a sacred practice? You create art, you share it, you create some more and the cycle continues, right?! That is how it seems to be these days, especially in the Instagram world. It all kind of blends together. Everyone's art starts to look the same based on what is trending. I love it when I find an artist's work that feels different. When it is unique or has a different quality about it. I imagine they are the artists that are connected with their work and telling their story through their art. How do you feel about your art and art practice? Do you feel connected? Are you sharing your story? Do you want to deepen your art experience? I've been thinking about these questions for a while now. What does it mean to deepen your art practice? What does it mean to make art a sacred practice?
It's not just creating. It's expressing who you are through your art. It's making the process of creating as important as the art itself. That sounds amazing doesn't it?
So how do you get there? Ha ha.... well that's the question.
I have spent the last few years discovering my art style. It's not just a painting style I picked up. Yes, I was inspired by other artists. That is where I started. I found a look that really resonated with me. I felt it, I could see it and I did a deep dive into exploring it. That was the first step. I didn't want to paint it because it was trending or because the other artists were really popular painting it. I was inspired by it because there was a quality about it that felt familiar to me. It felt like home. The deeper I dove into it the more I made it my own until it was very different from where it started. It was no longer anything else but mine.
This wasn't an easy journey. Time was needed to let it breathe and grow until I felt fully connected to it and it became my breath.
Some people are lucky, they create and it just comes out as them. Others have to work at it. Honestly, I'm happy to be in the "had to work at it" tribe. I've learned so much about myself during this process. There were so many fears that I had to walk with too. I had a successful art licensing business and I was about to change my look, what was I crazy? I know my agents were nervous. Nevertheless, I persisted.
The amazing thing is that not only did I create my new art style, but I discovered how important the process was to getting there. Everything fell into place. The art, the messaging that perfectly entwined itself with it, and the practices that shaped my new creative life.
I wanted a way to share what I've learned but wasn't sure how to do it. Slowly this idea of Make Art a Sacred Practice started to form. It sums up how I arrived at this place in my art life. Through introspection, meditation, mindfulness, and ritual I weaved my new craft. I had tools to help me along the way too. My spiritual creative toolbox deepened my experience and assisted me through some challenging blocks. Tools like crystals, essential oils, sage, mantras, journaling, and so much more.
Does this sound interesting to you? I just finished my first online class on Skillshare. I loved making this class because it gave me the chance to start sharing my process of how I make art a sacred practice. While I was making the class, I also started sharing short free Sacred Circle tutorials on Instagram. It was the combination of these two things that made me realize that this is the work I'm meant to be doing. Stay tuned for more. For now, check out my new skillshare class, Intuitive Watercolor Florals I: Get Grounded on Skillshare.