Think Like an Artist

Think like an Artist!

28/1/2020

How we learn art matters!

Where some art teaching just teaches you specific art techniques so that you can recreate an individual artwork or copy the teacher’s style, I want to help you learn art to think like an artist, to be creative, and to learn art and drawing in your own way…

There’s so many benefits to learning a creative way of thinking, an artist’s way of seeing and thinking…

From the way that we can feel free to enjoy ourselves and not subject to judgement from ourselves and others as to if we’re doing art ‘the right way’…

To how we learn to flex and strengthen our creative thinking muscles!

Literally changing the way we approach problems in our everyday personal lives and potentially benefiting society as a whole as we bring new ways of thinking into the world…

Learn to think like an artist!

We need to feel free when we learn art and we need to learn how to be creative…

Not just to learn to draw and paint but to learn how to be artists…

You might have noticed that I teach art and drawing differently to a lot of other artists. This is deliberate…

I don’t share my exact techniques and I don’t provide instructions for a quick fix so that you can quickly learn how to draw specific things…

Because, while this may allow you to make a fair copy of the original – which feels good, pretty satisfying, right? – it isn’t you and it isn’t creative!

Instead, I prefer you to learn art by me providing a basic instruction and understanding of the fundamental principles that allows you to go away and find out your own way of doing things…

Play a bit, get curious, develop your own drawing technique and evolve your own unique artistic style.

I do agree that there is a place for working on specific drawing or painting techniques and skills when you learn art…

And copying can certainly help with this (after all, it was required learning to copy the Old Masters, in the traditional drawing academies)…

But I feel (and certainly in the modern age!) that this way of learning art and drawing doesn’t allow you the freedom you need to develop your creative style in your own way…

It doesn’t allow you the freedom to think in your own way!

We need to feel free to create in our own way

Without this creative freedom to learn to be the artist that you naturally are, it can take enjoyment away from your creative pursuits…

Imagine this – You’re working hard to copy a drawing or painting, practising the techniques the artist uses, and trying to get your own artwork to look just like or ‘as good as’ the original drawing…

Subconsciously, perhaps, you’re judging you’re your attempts, your skills, and how that reflects on the way you feel about yourself – “Am I good enough? Have I learned enough yet? Am I there yet?”

It’s a learning experience, but also it’s a test – can you do it right?

But there is another scenario! And that’s the one I want to help you get to…

Imagine learning through play, feeling relaxed, feeling free – just exploring how things work, which is always exciting, right?

Because there’s no way of getting it wrong, you don’t feel like you’re struggling to ‘get it right’ – you’re just fact-finding, exploring what things do, what happens when you do this or that, getting curious… playing!

Art and creativity isn’t like learning a language or learning how to do maths so we shouldn’t treat it in the same way.

It’s certainly not a test of if you can ‘get it right’!!

Finding your own path in art - the one that's right for you...

Creativity is about having an open mind, finding new solutions, new ways, being curious…

We badly need creative thinking in so many areas of our public and private lives – as individuals and as a society.

But the creative way of thinking is a muscle that you need to exercise (else it gets flabby and weak!).

You need to practice creative thinking and learn how to think in ways that are different from all the usual solutions that have gone before…

Now, which way of learning does this sound most like…?

Learning to copy other people’s ways of doing things? Or learning to think for yourself?

Learning art is learning to be an artist - learning how to come up with your own ways of doing things… maybe they’re ways that other people already do, or maybe it’s a way no-one ever thought of before…

The important thing is that you got there on your own – you found it out by exploring or playing.

You’re exercising your brain and your creativity muscles – making them strong and effective and starting to make your art unique and yours.

We need creative thought in the world so much – not just in drawing and our artistic and creative pursuits but in all areas of our lives…

But learning art is a wonderful and enjoyable way for us to practice our creativity so that it becomes part of our lives, our way of thinking, and so that we can share it with the world…

And hopefully, one day, our creative way of thinking might just help make the world a better place.

If you’d like to learn art in a way that helps you feel free, feel like exploring, finding out, and learning how to think creatively, join me in my free Start Drawing resources on my website or take a deeper dive with me in my Essential Drawing Skills course…

Start Drawing Your Way - Essential Drawing Skills Course

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