How I started creating and how you can too

Art is ultimately a combination of lines, marks made by moving points across a surface. A line is also a vehicle for communication rather than a natural phenomenon, a device we use to describe what we see, a means by which we convey our reactions to both reality and ideas, and an element in which we express our thoughts and feelings.

Taking something so simple into consideration — a line or a combination of lines, it is surprising why so many of us find it difficult to get started, I know I certainly did and still do. There are so many magazines, books, blogs and influential artists to be intimidated by. However, while flicking through my old art scrapbooks I came across a great idea, one that could now help me get through my mental inability to hit the start button.

Start with an imaginative exercise.

Storytelling through lines

Get a piece of paper and a pen, marker, paintbrush or anything similar. Start drawing strokes of lines on the page in any direction, form, size or pattern. Really be free with this — don’t hold back. See where the lines take you and be led by them. Feel open to using different forms if you need to e.g. paint splatter or pen dots.

Stop after a minute or so and take a small break. Come back to your piece of work and really critique it. It may take a while for you to absorb it completely, but after you have, answer the following questions in written form.

• Can you describe what is happening?
• How does it make you feel? Does it capture a mood or memory?
• Can you identify any objects or people?
• Is the subject surface deep or hidden? Are meanings alluded through the use of symbol analogies of metaphors?

What does this mean?

Any form of creation big or small was important for me and critiquing it felt like a form of therapy, enabling me to connect myself to my work. By doing so, I felt empowered to create more. Never believe that drawing lines on a page is a waste of time — this is often the pitfall aspiring artists fall into, that they should be incredible from the get go. It’s a skill that can be learnt, and even a form of therapeutic art may have a profound effect on you.

I encourage you to do the above exercise over and over again daily for as long as it helps you, as it helped me. After all…

“A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labourers of a spasmodic Hercules.” — Anthony Trollope, Novelist

Set yourself up for success

Do not lock your pens and notebooks away in your drawers or cupboards. Keep them out somewhere you can see them, easily use them and be reminded of them. It is also easy to worry about having a ‘style’ after you get started. I tried to focus less on this and more on where my mind took my strokes — ideas will eventually come to you.

I would love to hear how your creations go, please share your work/comments below as you wish. Best of luck!