“Creativity doesn’t mean just making things up out of thin air. It means seeing and feeling the world so vividly that you can put together connections and patterns that help to explain reality. It means you see the beauty in the world rather than trying to hide from it.”
- Danny Gregory
Photo by martinhoward
If you’ve ever doubted your creative abilities (as I’m guilty of) I highly recommend reading the book The Creative License by artist and ad man Danny Gregory. Vaguely similar to The Artist’s Way, there are a few rules to follow and simple exercises to help unlock one’s creativity. However, I found it to be geared more towards the visual arts, which worked out in my favor. In general, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially because I felt it was a nice accompaniment to my weekly Artist Way readings. Plus, the illustrations in the book are a splendid breeze of inspiration.
Shortly after finishing The Creative License, I began to mull over the idea to enroll in a local drawing class. Other creative hobbies (scrapbooking, beading, screen printing, jewelry making, and low-fi photography) I’ve read about and tackled with little to no apprehension. Yet, drawing has been the one artistic form I haven’t fully immersed myself in. I admit it’s quite paradoxical because I’ve always held the utmost admiration towards individuals that draw. (Again, this is probably because throughout most of my life I’ve felt as though my drawing chops were simply nonexistent.) So, after scouring museum programs, art supply store classes, and everything in between, I finally found a six week drawing and sketching course to fit my schedule and registered.
My drawing class begins tomorrow night.
So, with an open mind, my pencils, and a sketchpad I’m finally attempting the one art form that has left me enamored all these years. And who knows, maybe I’ll even share some of my work on here in the future. Stay tuned.