How to make original art that is authentic and aligns with your Values - A guide
When we know what our values are we can create art that aligns with our authenticity and purpose. Knowing our values brings clarity to what is worthy of our time and energy and what is ultimately a distraction.
Years ago at an Actor workshop with coach Larry Moss (coach to Hillary Swank and Leonardo Dicaprio) he said something that stuck with me: “Don’t die with your music still in you.”
My hope is that the below prompts will help identify your values, likes, dislikes and temperament and in doing so help connect you with your unique creative voice and purpose so you can discover and sing the music within you. The prompts are by no means exhaustive but are the sort of suggestions a creative ally might make to us over coffee. Art can be many different things and whilst these day I mostly paint, the below prompts are more about you being connected to your why and are open ended about exactly what you make and how.
The prompts are aimed to help you get connected with yourself and stop:
Performing to fit in (this can manifest in the pressure to make art we think is “palatable”)
Mimicking styles to the extent that you are a follower rather than a leader in your own right
Imitating other Artists or blatant plagiarism (disconnected from our own unique voice this extreme form of performing can also bring with it ethical and legal ramifications)
Filling your Artist Statement and marketing materials with jargon and made-up fluff due to the fact you haven’t solidified what your creative practice is about
betraying your instincts and dramatically altering your work to chase ‘likes’ on social media
focusing on Awards or forms of status (this can place our self worth in a precarious position. Better to focus on the value we bring to the world and success will be a byproduct)
wasting energy on resentment when you could be enjoying your life and kicking your own personal goals
Making work you don’t enjoy
These are forms of self betrayal. In order to create work that is authentic and connects with our audience we need to be authentic and connect with ourselves.
Prompt 1: WHAT ARE YOU AGAINST?
Write a list of things you would change to improve the world. If you had to narrow it down to one thing what would you focus on? If multiple things ignite a fire in your belly is there a common theme between them? For example fighting injustice, embracing people who are different etc.
When have you acted on this belief? What spurred you to take action? How did you feel before and after the event?
Ask yourself WHY you care about this? Was there a particular experience that made you realise the need to address this problem?
It’s important that your answers are authentic and not things you think you “should” be passionate about. If nothing strong comes to mind get curious and explore why that may be. Maybe life has been kind and you haven’t experienced anything yet that makes your blood boil. On the other hand, our mind can attempt to calm our nervous system through dissociation or by avoiding or numbing as a result of past trauma. Or you could be Zen in your approach to life and practice the belief that what you resist persists.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
If you choose to make art that directly responds to an issue, clearly articulating your ‘why’ will be useful in communicating your Artist Story to audiences and sharing your purpose with the world.
Knowing what we’re against might inspire particular themes in our art or inform what methods and materials we use e.g. someone environmentally passionate might use eco friendly materials. It can also give us a clearer idea of our moral compass and what would ultimately be a betrayal to that.
What are you for?
This piece titled ‘Healing’ is about taking time to reconnect with ourselves. It is rooted in beliefs of self respect, inner endurance and an appreciation for well nourished mental health.
“Healing”. 2021. Oil on oil paper.
Prompt 2: WHAT ARE YOU FOR?
Words are powerful and we may experience better outcomes by concentrating on what we want, rather than what we don’t want. After all it’s hard to know where we’re going when we only know where we don’t want to be: that’s a lot of running with no specific direction.
Write a list of what you’re for. What do you stand for? What do you want to nourish?
This prompt may involve flipping your list of ‘what you’re against’ and phrasing it as a positive e.g. “I am against bullying” might be reworded as “I embrace others”. Effectively it changes the framework from combative to healing.
Phrasing it as a positive also creates affirmations that you can regularly read to centre yourself daily on what your intentions with your arts practice are. For example, your favourite phrases can be written and stuck to your bathroom mirror or saved on your smartphone and read daily over morning coffee.
Here are some suggested positive things you might be for (For the sake of the exercise consider narrowing to five core values that are most important to you or come up with your own):
SELF-ACTUALISATION - CREATIVITY - PLAY - INNER PEACE - SELF-LOVE - MENTAL HEALTH - COMMUNITY - AUTHENTICITY - CONNECTION - NOURISHMENT - CLARITY - TIDINESS - SAFETY - ADVENTURE - COURAGE - LEARNING - EMPOWERMENT - AUTONOMY - CONFIDENCE - HUMOUR - FAMILY - EQUALITY - HONESTY - LOYALTY - RESPECT - EXPRESSION - FREEDOM - EXCELLENCE - KINDNESS - GENEROSITY - STABILITY - BOUNDARIES - PHYSICAL HEALTH - NATURE - HUMANITY - OPENNESS - SPIRITUALITY - ORDER - WISDOM - CONTENTMENT - COURAGE - JUSTICE - APPRECIATION - ABUNDANCE - RECIPROCITY - HARMONY - CRAFTSMANSHIP - ENDURANCE -
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Reflecting on the above identifies what change you’d like to make in the world even if it is through small daily actions and the energy you bring into every interaction.
You may find that focussing on What you’re Against fires up your inner warrior, or you might find the second prompt resonates more with you. Neither is wrong. You may even respond to both.
What would you do for fun as a kid?
A bit like looking for images in the abstract shapes of the clouds, when I was younger I would make images out of the abstract shapes of objects around me. I particularly liked doing this with thread or strands of hair that had fallen in random shapes as I loved the sweeping soft lines. Over time this inclination developed into the figurative style seen opposite with its strong use of intentional sweeping lines.
‘Woman, child, cat’. 2021. Oil on oil paper.
Prompt 3: WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR ‘FUN’ AS A KID?
Our childhood can reveal where we find our natural joy and inclinations before society pressured us to fit in.
Write a list of activities you did as a child that you were so immersed in that you would lose track of time. This could be playing pretend for hours, building lego, climbing trees, organising toys, drawing, day dreaming etc.
Second, list any interesting behaviours you did as a child simply because you felt the impulse.
For example, a woman I used to work with shared that at the age of five she insisted on attending Preschool with perfectly applied lipstick everyday. Though she’s great with people, years later her degree in Nursing didn’t make her happy and whilst she was good she lacked the enthusiasm required for excellence. Life was okay, but something was out of sync. It makes sense that this girl with her meticulously applied lipstick and immaculate uniform is years later working in Luxury fashion and in her element with the mixture of customer service and styling - I suspect because she’s being authentic to herself she excels in her work and her clients adore her for it.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
When we are disconnected and unclear on what activities our personality is naturally drawn to we can end up in work that we resent or simply tolerate. Excavating our childhood for clues to what we naturally enjoy doing simply for the sake of doing them can help us course correct to work where we enjoy the process. Young children are naturally individualistic and are adamant about what they like and dislike - their personalities are incredibly expressive, unique and naturally creative.
Acknowledging what we enjoy can make our arts practice more authentic in the following ways:
We can incorporate these activities or quirks into the art we make be it in subject matter, methods, materials.
Allow them to influence how we show up in our marketing
Re-introducing the activities we enjoy to support our mental health which will in turn support us showing up in a more enthused way in every facet of your life, not just our art practice.
As a bonus, nostalgia is powerful and can lead to creative ideas that we connect with authentically.
Prompt 4: WHAT HOBBIES HAVE YOU DIVED INTO?
Hooked on Muay Thai? Learning French? Acting classes? Putting together a great outfit? Growing lychees from the seeds you planted?
These are things I have been obsessed with.
Things I have never been obsessed with: Camping, Car engines, extreme ironing. These themes probably won’t make an appearance in my art anytime soon.
Examine 2-3 artists you follow or admire and consider how their interests affect their work and have given it it’s own unique voice and personality.
Write a list of things that excite you. It could be fascinating topics you’ve researched, hobbies, or items you collect. WHY are you drawn to these? Sometimes we like things ‘just because’ (I don’t have an intellectual reason why I love chocolate aside from brain loves sugar) but if you can identify an insightful reason, great!
Consider sketching these things you love or exploring how creativity might live through them. This may open up something unique for you. Contemporary artist Janine Antoni’s performance art has incorporated tight rope, painting with her hair and chocolate (among other things) as she freely incorporates mediums and tools to explore ideas. One of my favourite content creators is make up artist Bailey Sarian who combines make up with her fascination with true crime. She is a charismatic story teller and the combination of true crime while she does her make up is a great watch.
I’ve observed that when we honour what we are authentically drawn to people can have the most eclectic combination of interests. If you have been following the crowd and doing what everyone else is now is a great time to try something new that’s been on your ‘could be fun’ list.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Sometimes creatives can be so passionate about their art form that their conversations, friends and experiences become centered around it, not leaving space for new inspiration or connection to the outside world. Living a full life with varied interests will not only enrich you but enrich your art. It also helps with networking when we, just like our clients and peers, have varied interests to connect over.
What holds your gaze for extended periods of time?
In this painting stain glass and overlapping coloured cellophane inspired the treatment of the colourful figure overlapping the self portrait element.
‘The Artist prefers colour’. 2021. Oil on gessoboard.
Prompt 5: WHAT HOLDS YOUR GAZE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME?
Sunlight reflected on water. Stain glass. Bright colours. What do you enjoy looking at? Make a list and add to it when new things capture your attention. A Visual Journal with pasted images or an Inspiration Folder with saved images on Instagram or Pinterest also works a treat.
Are there particular colours you like seeing together? Fashion styles that capture your attention?
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Being open to and aware of visual inspiration provides clues to what your tastes are. When we’re clear on our taste we can focus on work we find satisfying, rather than attempting to people please. When we create what’s in line with our tastes it gives other people who share those tastes more options to enjoy. There is a saying that when we try to please everyone, we please no one.
Prompt 6: WHAT ARE YOUR SKILLS?
What skills do you take for granted? Make a list of skills you have, both art and non art related.
Are you good at Challenging assumptions? Mixing colours? Coming up with new ideas? Organising events? Connecting with new people? Editing? Photography? Maths? Active listening? Juggling? Making people laugh? Make up?
Ideally we’d like to lean on our strengths so that we are capable to do the work, but have enough challenges to keep us mentally engaged, otherwise we stagnate and become restless and bored.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
In search of new exciting skills and wanting to fortify weaknesses we can end up what I’ve heard described as Procrasta-learning (endlessly learning as a form of procrastination) and whilst life-long learning is encouraged, dismissing the skills we already have is not. Sometimes we enter flow state easiest with the creative work we find easy.
Identifying skills we may not associate with art can also benefit us. It may help us cut through the noise with unique marketing if we’re good at editing video for example. When we utilise all our talents it may lead us to create unique works e.g. a painter who is also a violist might make original music to accompany their NFT.
Prompt 7: TOLERANCE AND TEMPERAMENT
This exercise is about identifying your patience for a project and the qualities you invest in it.
Some artists finish an artwork in a few brush strokes. Others labour for years on a single project. Some film actors perform best within the first couple of takes while the material is fresh, whilst other actors hit their stride by take six. John Singer Sargent’s paint strokes are expressive and look messy when viewed up close, whereas Marco Grassi labours for months over a single painting, carefully detailing each pore of skin in his hyper-realism paintings.
If you’ve been exploring art for a while this prompt may simply require self reflection. If you’re just getting started consider spending some time exploring different styles and exercises to figure out what feels good to you and what your temperament is. For example:
Draw from life. Limit yourself to different time frames to capture what you see e.g. 1 minute vs a 60 minute sketch.
Try painting your self portrait in different art styles (e.g. like a cartoon character, in the style of Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Tamara De Lempicka, Artemisia Gentileshchi etc)
Draw from life then draw from imagination.
Try different mediums (watercolour, oils, pastel, pencil, clay, mixed media, performance, film, photography etc)
Try different mediums (as this is merely an exploratory exercise to get a taste purchasing inexpensive materials is recommended)
Once you have tested various approaches ask what resonates more with you with the following:
Sharp vs Loose
Planned vs Impulsive
Precise vs Approximate
Subtle vs Direct
Conceptual vs Visceral
Saturated vs Desaturated
Intense vs Calm
Complex vs Simple
Symmetrical vs Assymetrical
Angular vs Curved
Harmony vs Discord
Figurative vs Non figurative
Literal vs Metaphorical
Realistic vs Abstract
Textured vs Smooth
Bright vs Dark
Some additional questions to muse over:
On average how long can you work on one piece for before you’re ready to work on something new? Are you a long distance marathon runner? A Sprinter? Somewhere between? Do you work okay alone or prefer collaboration? Do you need a deadline? Do you need free time for thinking space to create what you consider good work?
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Acknowledging our temperament rather than battling against it will make work more satisfying and lead to more consistent results. Conversely fighting our temperament may lead to frustration and burn out.
Side note: Working better with ourselves also means making choices about what attributes of our temperament we embrace and what attributes we improve so that we can better take care of ourselves and our work. Also, your patience, endurance and temperament will likely change over the years.
Prompt 8: WHAT IS YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE?
There are a few free online quizzes for insights into your personality type that can be valuable in articulating your preferences for navigating the world and what your values are. For example:
The Myers-Briggs Personality Test
The questions are a great reminder of the various ways humans navigate the world: what you take for granted and think as normal behaviour might be totally foreign to someone else. Different minds also navigate the world differently: some have an inner monologue, others don’t. Some see visually in their minds eye, others don’t.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Understanding your personality type can help you articulate why it is important for you to create your art. It can also help you understand why you are drawn to certain things.
Prompt 9: WHO OR WHAT DO YOU ADMIRE?
Who are your heroes?
The answer may provide clues to what you appreciate and value. For instance, I have long been a fan of actor Tilda Swinton and on reflection I was most enamoured with her at a time when I was young and building my confidence. I admired her fierce talent and how she owned her uniqueness. I adored her especially because she possessed what I wanted for myself. To this day self-ownership and self expression remain high values of mine.
What creations have changed your life?
For example, what was the last film that had you leaving the cinema buzzing over how good it was? An album that made you feel seen or a song that made you feel like you could take on the world? How did these creative expressions guide you to live more fully? Did they invigorate you and call you to adventure? Inspire you to change?
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Reflecting on the creations and people who have impacted us is also a wonderful reminder that there are multiple meaningful ways that we can contribute to the world. This prompt can also help you understand yourself, what your desires and motivations are.
Prompt 10: IDENTITY & CULTURE
Connecting to our culture, ancestry and community can be incredibly important and may be something you’d like to explore creatively.
Communities are various and centre around a commonality such as activities (sports, crafts etc), professions (e.g. Medical community), markets (e.g. NFT community), religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, language, politics, ideology etc. Culture can be the contemporary culture you live in today or connecting to ancestral culture and keeping traditions alive. For example, I live in Sydney, Australia so I could make work that relates to my relationship with contemporary Australia, or explore my relationship with my Indonesian or German / Ukraine ancestry or, all the above.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Connecting with your community and exploring your relationship with your own culture can create wonderfully insightful and generous work because it is specific to your experience and view point.
Prompt 11: WHO ARE YOU JEALOUS OF?
Brainstorming who makes you jealous may provide clues about your values as if they didn’t have something you want then they’d be no jealousy. Investigating who you are jealous of provides insights into our limiting beliefs and/or unhealed wounds because you perceive they have something you off limits to you. For example, jealousy over another’s success might be about subconsciously wishing to experience the same praise and therefore love we feel is in limited supply.
If you can’t think of anyone who sparks jealousy and you’re happy running your own race, that’s fantastic! If people come to mind list them down and ask what you perceive they have that you envy, and why this is important to you.
If the word ‘jealous’ turns you off perhaps try listing who you’re happy for and envious of.
WHY THIS PROMPT HELPS:
Investigating uncomfortable feelings such as jealousy carry so much information about our subconscious beliefs and what triggers our Ego. It can help us understand what we subconsciously desire and why. Once we acknowledge what our desires are we can then evaluate if that desire is actually good for us and relevant for our lives now or whether it is something to let go of.
This prompt helps us understand ourselves deeply and invites us to course correct onto a happier and healthier life if we’re off track. It can help us focus on what we can give (through our art and otherwise) rather than what feel we can or can’t get ie. the desires of our ego. In wrestling with this prompt as with any of the other prompts you may want to make art as part of the process.
Prompt 12: MEDITATION
Values change over time. What is important at 30 years old may be different at 80. Meditation can be a wonderful way to check in with ourselves and observe what thoughts, beliefs and experiences come up for us moment to moment. Observing what we’re experiencing both internally and externally rather than automatically reacting gives us choices on how to respond.
Meditation helps us disrupt mind-drama. Mind-drama is the addictive mental noise that distracts us from what matters. Mind-drama might look like comparing ourselves to others, obsessive anxiety about success, overwhelming fear of rejection, running away with inflated self-ego when times are good, crashing into despair when times are bad. MInd drama and ego can manifest as needing to assert we’re different or be ‘cool’, or conforming to fit in, and needing others to be wrong so we can be right. When we disrupt mind-drama regularly we can focus on surrounding ourselves with things we genuinely love, explore ideas that excite us and enjoy the journey rather than our energy being sapped by unwise thoughts and behaviours that ultimately do not serve us.
Meditation teaches us that all things, whether we view them as good or bad, pass, and to embrace the present moment and therefore where we’re at in the process.
Apps like Headspace and Calm are a great place to start learning how to meditate. I also enjoy the Eckhardt Tolle meditation you can access for free on youtube.
