Where Do I Get My Inspiration From, As An Artist?

If there's one thing that most people can agree on, it's that every Artist has a "style"- be them a Musician, Painter or Dancer. It was in my naivety as a much younger Artist that I believed so long as I was creating art, I was an Artist and my art would sell. Quickly- and uncomfortably- I discovered that this is far from true; people want to buy value with their dollar, and if something lacks value or the ability to evoke emotion it is unlikely to be bought or invested in.

People are smart, they know when something has been made for the sole purpose of making a dollar, or when it has come from a soul regardless of its potential to make money.

In the early days of my business, I admit that I perceived my ability to create art as an opportunity to make money, and so it did- quite a lot. But that was because I was providing a service to people by drawing portraits of their pets and loved ones- it was already something meaningful to the person buying it. But when it came to creating my own personal artworks, I would often find myself staring at that oh-so-intimidating blank piece of paper trying to conjure up an idea in my imagination, most often to no success. Many Artists can relate to this dreadful "Artist's Block", for various reasons.

It wasn't until I had undergone a very trying time in my early twenties and made a bold decision to leave behind all of my relationships, sell my car and travel Australia in a caravan with my brother that I re-learned what inspiration truly is to me.

*It is important to note that this advice is more so aimed at those who want to practice Art as their profession, because it is my personal belief that Art is for absolutely everyone, and everyone should feel free to create it in whichever way they wish. However, when it comes to creating professional Art that resonates with others, has a level of consistency and a particular "style", I believe having a strong understanding of one's intentions behind creating Art is paramount.

It comes down to what your passions are and what you hold as important values in your life. Some Artists are passionate about Climate Change and make it their mission to create Art that represents that. Others are passionate about sharing the importance of Self-Inquiry, or Domestic Abuse, and the list goes on. As an Artist it is important to know within yourself what it is you are trying to say- what message you want your Art to share and this is important for a few reasons:

• Your art is a reflection of you

When people see your Art, whether they know you or not, they are in a way getting acquainted with you. So if you have no idea who you are, what values you hold close, the kinds of messages you're wanting to send, the viewer will pick up on this uncertainty and confusion. Your Art is a physical representation of your innermost workings and on a subconscious level (if you don't already know, the human subconscious mind is thousands of times more powerful than our conscious mind), the viewer picks up on this. Think back to the Prehistoric days of the cavemen-they would draw only what they saw, because what they saw was what was. But as the ever-expanding human mind has grown and developed and learned, we have developed the ability to recreate in the physical world not only what we see, but what we feel, what we think, our fears, our memories, our desires, and on and on it goes.

• You have a powerful opportunity with your Art

Whichever form you choose to view Art as, ie: musical, visual, dance, etc, it is no secret that Art has this unique ability to resonate with us in a way that pulls on our heart strings, stirs our emotions and allows us to feel understood, accepted and loved. So, as someone who has the ability to create Art, you have an opportunity to create something that can affect others in a very intimate and personal, and sometimes life-changing way. This comes with great opportunity to share important messages and causes that you are passionate about, and this is why it is key to know what it is you are trying to say with your Art (and believe me, I am only just scraping the tip of the iceberg with my own meaning).

• When you know what your message is, it is easier to be inspired

Simply put, by having a goal, or an idea, you automatically have a vision to strive for. If you are passionate about self-growth and development and you believe this is where your heart thrives, you wouldn't go creating Art that depicts a toxic lifestyle, unless of course you are using intelligent symbolism (which, let's face it, is no easy task). Same to say you wouldn't creative hyper-realistic portraits of animals if your passion lies with the serenity and calmness of the wilderness. Having an idea of what you believe is important, or the kind of messages you want to be sharing with the world, means that in your daily life you will come across things that represent your passions/values/morals, etc, and then it becomes an inquisitive dance between idea, creation and outcome.

"Creativity is intelligence having fun"

-Albert Einstein

Throughout my own personal journey as an Artist I have only come to this understanding within the recent three or so years as I have begun to sway away from predominantly Pet Portraits to creating my own unique Art reflective of who I am and what I'm about. And this is when it becomes very challenging, but we will save that for a later blog...

Given that I started my business at the age of nineteen, naturally I had no idea who I was, what I wanted, where I was going in life and everything of the sort, so my easiest way in was to draw Pet Portraits as it was guaranteed to mean something to others and would be a great way to get exposure. But I realized quickly that as much as I love being able to provide such sentimental pieces of Art for people, it was not satisfying my own desire to create. There was no mystery involved, no exploration or creativity, which I now know are very important aspects for me and my Art. I had spent the first four years of my business solely doing Pet Portraits, and so when I decided to pack my life up and move to the other side of the country and was suddenly without friends, family or existing customers, I suddenly realized a few things: how lucky I was that I had such a huge support network back home, that getting commissions in a new state was proving to be very difficult, but also that this was an opportunity to create something of my own to express how I was feeling and get me through such a challenging time. Ironically, this was what I spent my entire childhood doing...

This sparked a desire in me to continue creating art reflective of my inner state, and it continued on to be a journey of both self-discovery and Artistic Intention.

Since then I have been very intentional with the pieces I create, ensuring that they correspond with what I believe to be important to me at this time in my life.

So as to not give the entire mystery away, I will leave it up to your own discretion to decide what my personal pieces mean, as I believe all art resonates with people in different ways. I would love for my audience to view my Art in a way that makes sense to them, and for them to conjure up their own meaning.

I hope this has been helpful in answering where I get my inspiration from, if you have any other questions you'd love for me to answer, let me know in the comments, reach out to me on social media @ArtbyMadeline or flick me an email at artbymadeline@outlookcom.

To view my gallery and prices, visit artbymadeline.com

Until next time, keep creating.

Madeline x