Studio Musings - when hoarding art supplies is keeping you from creating

"It takes practice, and the conscious building of daily ritual" ~ Julia Cameron

Hey creative friend!

We are nearing the end of August but it seems Winter is still holding fast and Spring is slow to emerge. I am loving the few days of sunshine in-between all the rain, I try and get outside with my on-the-go art kit as much as possible. One thing my mini art kit has helped with, is to hone in on a specific art medium and improve my skills on that one medium.

The biggest issue I had was having too many supplies and hopping in-between colour mediums, not being able to decide which one I like best or felt like using that day. This caused decision paralysis and I end up wasting lots of time looking at my supplies and then the small pocket of time for creating is gone and I didn't make a thing. This was one of the big reasons I started exploring the idea of mini kits with only one colour medium each.

If you have spent any time in my classes or had a look at my website, simplifying your approach to art is what I have been 'preaching' for some time. But because I teach many types of art mediums, I have a massive selection of art supplies and that led to Arty Squirrel Syndrome: Running after every new nut (new product) that falls from a tree (manufacturers making shiny new stuff every season). I have to test it too see if it's any good, right?

In the last two newsletters we looked at time waisters that prevent you from making art (If you missed it, I will post it in a blog post soon). No1 was Doom-scrolling with the excuse that you are looking for inspiration. And no 2 was binge watching online tutorials and not actually creating anything from those tutorials.

Today I am going to chat about the arty squirrel problem and how hoarding art supplies can keep you from creating. Just a fun fact: A single squirrel can collect and bury around 3,000 to 10,000 nuts and seeds in a season. Research suggests they eat about 25% to 50% of the nuts they bury, while the rest are forgotten...

Time waister no 3:

Arty squirrel hoarding supplies

I will be the first to admit that I LOVE buying art supplies, I love testing new colours or products and I don't intend to stop... (it's kinda part of my 'job' as an art educator) - BUT! Yes, big BUT, I needed to find a way to not just hoard but also USE said supplies so that I can inspire you to use what you have.

It all comes down to one thing: Skill building. I don't care if you own a set of every watercolour brand known to man. Unless you are planning to start a museum, you need to USE the stuff!

What to do instead:

Pick one skill you want to practice (improve on) for that specific colour medium.
Put together a mini kit with the bare basics needed to practice that one skill.
Find small pockets of time in your day and practice for 5 or 10 minutes.

The essential key to the above mentioned re-direct:

Prioritize creating over collecting. I am not telling you to stop buying, but let's shift our focus to actively using our supplies and improving our skills.

Another key element is of course the mini kit! In the next few newsletters we will start to explore how to make mini kits and how to use them!

Would you like to get out of the house and nurture your creativity with like-minded creatives? Join me for a workshop out in the country-ish side of Perth.

I run 3 workshops every month: