Think like an artist

Brandishing my newly created necklace

When you don’t know where to start, you have to start somewhere. That was what my intuition was telling me this week. Amid a full schedule of writing and applying for exhibitions and meeting deadlines, I found myself needing to really think like an artist. Where to start, somewhere. How to begin, trust my intuition.

I have found that the more I listen to my intuition, the stronger it gets.  I have heard this described as “woo woo”. I don’t even know where that saying came from but I know for certain that using this as a derogatory term tries to dampen our basic rights as humans to have your all of our sensory powers working at full capacity.

Intuition comes in many forms. You’re thinking of someone and they suddenly ring or email you. You are about to leave the house and you glance down at the umbrella stand. There is no sign of rain but you pack the umbrella anyway. Later you are grateful that you did as you would have got saturated.

Following your instinct helps you think as an artist. This means being finely attuned to the creative tools and materials you use as well as rejoicing in life’s little miracles, the right person you meet, a pertinent conversation, a path that suddenly appears like a lit up runway so that you know you are on the right track.

You have to first trust that you are being guided, that the universe has your back, that you are a sovereign being with great super powers you have barely tapped into yet. Giving yourself permission to dream big, to imagine a “what if’, is the first step in manifesting the reality you want to live in.

Choice can be considered a luxury, yet we all have access to creating choice in our lives, even it is in small incremental ways. How we adapt to external forces beyond our control is our first choice. Then others follow on from there. Thinking like an artist means being adaptable. Being creative and finding innovative solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Your body is also intuitive. You are always getting sick for one reason or another – what is the underlying cause? Even small changes in habits can make a difference. 

This week I was so busy with deadlines, I could feel my energy dipping right down. My choice was to go and lie down, or to rest while creating. I did the latter and found it had far better results than if I had curled up to sleep while in that mood. Yet another time I was so so physically drained I knew proper sleep was needed. Tuning in to your body rhythm means you can find the best times to create and when to rest and restore your energy.

Even mixing up your creativity in another way can be rewarding. Like the jewellery workshop I did where I made a new necklace from two broken ones. This appealed to my mend and make do aesthetic so that I have now created a fusion of two favourite jewellery pieces into my own design with the addition of extra elements.

I didn’t know how to start making a necklace or what it was going to look like until I began the process of threading beads onto a wire thread. The colours and shapes fell into their own pattern. I followed my intuition to select the right colours and to keep going. When I finished it and put it on, it looked like it was totally me. Thinking like an artist and dressing like an artist. It’s a choice I love to make.

Intuitive selection - your hands know how to create