A Creative Reset

In the month of April, I had what I called “a creative reset”. Maybe it’s something you’d benefit from too…

I was feeling overwhelmed with my own ideas, by all the wonderful artwork I was seeing on social media, and by my own difficulty in prioritising time to make art amongst all my other responsibilities. I think these are things that all those rediscovering, or even those deep into, their creativity can struggle with.

It’s all too easy to get swept up in what others are doing and to feel you’re missing out, or you’re not good enough, or you’re not doing enough. It’s all too easy for other’s ideas to take over your own goals and direction. The saying “comparison is the thief of joy” couldn’t be more true. I needed to push that reset button .

For me, this meant I stopped watching videos on YouTube, stopped scrolling on Instagram, stopped trying to keep up with those I subscribe to on Patreon, and even stopped making art altogether for the most part. I wanted to remember what was important to me in my creativity and to find my own pace of creating again. I needed to remember that I’m not everyone else, something my mum always used to say when I wanted something everyone else had in my school days. Wise words, mother.

By the time May came around, I was feeling much less stressed. Very clear ideas about the art I wanted to be making, the projects I was passionate about, and the skills I wanted to be working on revealed themselves. I felt much more positive about how I could fit art into my life on my own terms. Going forwards, I’m going to hold on to those things tightly and not allow myself to be drawn into the many rabbit holes we can fall down in this modern world of abundant content.

If you’re feeling the squeeze too, I hope you found my little ramble and the idea of a reset, a tad bit helpful. Remember that you are enough.

Rebecca.