Too many creative ideas?

finding clarity & focus to begin a new project

Hello hello!

Do you ever feel like you are juggling the starting points of several projects? Today I wanted to share with you the 4 questions I ask myself to help find some clarity & focus, when I feel pulled in many directions by lots of shiny creative ideas. With limited time, and an unlimited number of ideas, it can quickly get overwhelming knowing what to focus on! So, today I wanted to share with you these 4 questions I ask myself to review my existing work, and find the core thread to follow, to create a series of paintings.

This topic came about, because I am starting a new series of paintings in the studio, which are launching on my website on May 30th! I have just gone through this very process myself, and cannot wait to share these new paintings and ideas with you soon.

If you’d like early access to these new paintings when they release, you can subscribe to my website newsletter here:

(p.s - if you’re a visual learner, you can check out my latest youtube video below, which talks you through these questions & ideas)

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

It REALLY helps to lay all your work you are liking parts of around you when you are asking yourself these questions. Try laying them out on your bed, the floor, kitchen table, or taping them up on the wall like I have done!

1. LOOK FOR ANY INITIAL CONNECTIONS OR LINKS

Not everything needs to be consistent here - you may have just one thread which ties your projects together, that is important for you to take forwards. Examples of connections / links between your pieces are:

• subject matter

  do you have a similar subject matter throughout? e.g landscape, still life, figure etc
  

• mood & emotion / atmosphere

  are there a few key moods or feelings in your work, across everything you make?
  

• colour palettes

  is there a palette, or even 1 colour which shows up in everything you make?
  

• how you make marks or use your tools

  is there a texture you love to create, or a way you move your tools that you can spot throughout your work?

2. MATERIALS, PROCESSES & TECHNIQUES

Even if you experiment with a new medium in each painting, there may be more common threads than you have noticed before.

• how do you apply the materials to the surface?

  do you work fast, slow, gentle, aggressive?
  

• what marks do you like?

  how do you move with your tools - do you make marks in specific directions or sizes?
  

3. WHAT DID YOU ENJOY & WHY?

This one is super simple! What lights you up when you are creating? When you look at your work, what resonates? It might not be the full piece - that’s ok! Are there pockets or wee sections of your art that you love?

• do you love the subject matter?

• do you love the processes you are using?

4. CAN YOU COMBINE OR SIMPLIFY IDEAS?

Are there underlying themes that tie your ideas together? If you have 5 different projects started, might there be a core theme that runs through them all?

To create a series, our theme doesn’t need to be super narrow: To give an example: Perhaps the most important thread across all your visually different work is a feeling of freedom - that could be your connecting / underlying theme, which you then have wiggle room to express in many different ways.

As always, I LOVE hearing what works for you - do you have a way to find focus or review your work, and find some direction to move forwards?

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If you are looking to make a little more space for creativity, play and experimentation in your art practice, come and check out the Outdoor Sketchbook Collective. It’s our online community space for art & nature lovers, sharing exclusive monthly video tutorials, guides, workshops and more ✨