What Guides Your (he)Art?

The Christmas commission rush is behind me and I had a chance to catch my breath, regroup and get myself ready for Christmas!

I have so many things to be thankful for this year and one of them being the lesson that finally clicked in my head about letting my heart guide my art!  I had reached a road block a few months ago regarding commissioned work.  As any artist knows commissioned work is a double edged sword because on one hand it is a wonderful compliment and often an artists bread and butter but on the other hand it is something that originates outside of your own inspiration.

As a self-taught artist I have never learned how to handle 'assignments'.  I began creating art not that many years ago as a well to relax and express.  Working on a timeline is sometimes counter to relaxation and expression. :)

I read artist self help blogs about being on a schedule and disciplining yourself.  All my attempts to get my muse to conform to some outward directed constraints were met with huge resistance.

Creating art is so essential to my well being to lose my desire to paint would be a tragedy in my eyes so I pulled WAY back and in my mind decided I was not going to let that happen so I let loose of what time constraints and restrictions of my art that I could and just played.  The complete opposite of the artist self help  advise!  I had struggled with this need to play by telling myself as an adult we grow out of this need and instead are responsible and reliable with our time and energy!  But the need to play with my art (and horses!) is so much a part of my muse and inspiration I decided this WAS important so go with it!

It has been a wonderful lesson!  I now know that art for me can not be dealt with like a reluctant 5th grader who doesn't want to do their homework and needs to be taught to just buckle down and DO IT.  I need to be put out to recess and given art materials!!

This may make no sense to you but it was a huge revelation for me to realize my maturing as an artist is actually all about going backwards to those needs as a child to play.

The more I play at my art the more I do.  The freer I feel the more it grows.  My art is ruled 100% by my heart and to fight that is to kill the desire and nothing is worth that in the end.

I had heard the term 'intuitive artist' and now know that applies to me.  I am finding as I connect with what my intuition finds inspiring the more easily I connect with the commissions I am painting.  I am finding that the starting place needs to be from my heart before my head can get into it!

I am excited for this new year as I further develop  'Save A Face' and my work with rescues.  I am also feeling a renewed excitement and interest in the commissions ahead of me as I feel refreshed and more settled in that direction as well.  I use that as an outlet to follow my whims and that is a good thing!