Four Tips for Other Artists

I chose the snail for the fourth tip I have for you. Read on if you’d like to find out why.

1 - Probably because that is where I am now, I will recommend to travel. I have mentioned before that traveling helps me replenish my creative well. I visit stores, villages, cafes, churches, I listen to what the locals are experiencing on a daily basis. It is very different than what I experience thousands of miles away from where I live. That isn’t true for everyone maybe - and even if it doesn’t manifest this way for you - I think it is always a good thing and a good feeling. This doesn’t even have to be a far away trip. It can even be a hike close to your town.

2 - Which brings me to my second advice: time in nature! I didn’t make this one up. I am sure you have heard it and experienced it before. For example when I worked on my Nature Weavings, I have picked up sticks in the mountains and dried flowers from my backyard. As a gardner I take great pleasure in experiencing all the lives that come after the blooming of beautiful flowers and plants in my yard. I use the dried stems and pods to create weavings. This is probably especially true for those of us who feel a deep connection to nature. The earth always reminds me of where I came from and that my feet are grounded on her soil.

3 - Staying true to yourself. This one probably should have been number one or two in my advices because of how important it is to me. I think in this day and age we try to keep up with what we should do or need to do. I feel fortunate that I can choose to not get on the fast train. I want to take my time and let things happen as naturally as possible. I feel a lot of discomfort in advertising, myself, for my creations. It is hard to spend the time - especially on social media - to keep everyone up to date with what I am doing, selling, what I would like to do. There is a strange feeling of ego and rat race that I am absolutely not comfortable with. Staying true to you is to make sure you are not working harder on what you are supposed to do such as sell, sell, sell but to make sure you spend enough time still doing what you love.

4 - Slow down, you move to fast, you are trying to do too much all the time. I actually need to keep telling myself this as a mantra because my drive and constant “need” to be doing something - mostly with my fingers - is still stronger than my ability to stop, rest, not do anything. Right now it is: gardening, weeding, knitting and sewing while visiting with my family abroad. I am not complaining but I know how good it is for me to also take a break and breath, be silent and not move at all.