Recently I had a student who sent me a heartfelt message, thanking me for the things I had taught them. Something along the lines of:
…I am always ready to paint be mindful. I have learned not to criticise myself. I truly value the skills and attitudes you have taught me…
It is always wonderful to hear about how my teaching impacts and how my mindfully based approach is making a difference in someone’s life. They were actually choosing to stop being a monthly subscriber on Patreon (I know, why am I blogging to the world about losing a subscriber-because it started an important train of thought.) Their reasons were layered, partly to do with content and that they didn’t want to include collage or journalling in their own creative journey and partly to do with feeling that they were not a process person, and preferred to work small with an end product.
It was this last reason that got me thinking. These were my thoughts in no particular order:
I believe that fundamentally it is the process of creating that brings benefits to wellbeing, not the creation of an end product. In fact getting too hung up on the end product needing to be the next big thing can be a huge barrier to creating.
When you are being present with focused attention on what you are doing, you can’t be considering the end product because then you wouldn’t be being present. This is one of those loops for me that keeps me going round and round. The short version is if you’re being mindfully present you are being focused on the process and not the product.
I must be miscommunicating as a teacher somewhere. Being process based seems intrinsically linked to being present in my own thinking.
As a teacher I create lessons that allow you to be process based and enjoy the process and I build in a final stage where you move the piece more in the direction of what you like and to feeling finished. I don’t think I have said that anywhere before.
When I am doing a bigger piece or have a particular idea in mind I consider that before I begin. Sometimes I think through possible steps. But once I start, it becomes process based and I follow my curiosity and have in this way gained lots of information about what I like and don’t like. I think I can do this because of lots of practice, lots of tools in my tool box and my ability to respond thoughtfully rather than react with panic.
I encourage all of my students to consider pieces they don’t like as opportunities to gather information that will help them move in the direction of what they like more. This is one way to develop your own style.
Exploring a process, especially when you are new to a media or technique can yield results you don’t like. Being discerning and not judgemental about the end result is a key part of building resilience so you create again and again and again.
Encouraging people to focus on the process and be present is another way of encouraging them to let go of judgements and to enjoy creativity without a judgemental inner voice commentary.
I can focus on the process and then allow myself to attend and tweak a piece to move it towards what I like.
I don’t have to like everything I create.
I like to create things that I feel good about; this often leads me to tweaking (in big and little ways) to feel that a piece is finished.
When I am moving a piece towards being finished I am really reliant on my discernment and curiosity and being present with my thoughts and ideas.
The more we add to our artist’s toolbox of ideas, techniques, media, thinking and more, the more we have at our fingertips to use to move our creations in the direction of what we like.
Process based, doesn’t mean I’m mixing mud or making things I don’t like (although it can be that). Adding in constraints can help allow play and being process based whilst knowing you’ll probably like the end result to some extent because of the boundaries youahve set.
I believe that in my lessons you can be process based and make an end product (I think most, if not all, can be adapted to be entirely process based or to make an end product-like a card for instance).
Part of the reason I am more comfortable with process based art is the range of things I have learned through practice and exploration.
Sketchbooks are obvious places for trying out ideas, for playing and for being process based.
If/When I make more workshops and courses, I think I will include a sketch book for the course. A place to play and explore and experiment. Only it might be on little cards and go in a box. A sketch-Box perhaps.
Knowing what you like, what you want more of as an artist and a student (and a teacher) is a fabulous thing. I am always grateful when students give me insights into what workshops and lessons are like from their side of the painty table.
There’s a quote about people coming into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. As a teacher, I relate to the quote and for me as a person it is something that resonates. It still can be hard, as beginnings and endings (often more the endings) can create big feelings. We need endings to clear space for new beginnings.
When a student moves on like this, to find new creative avenues, different from the ones I am pursuing, I am excited for them. I am always grateful to have been part of their creative journey. I feel proud that I have made a difference to them. That they are going on to the next stage or step in their creative journey, better equipped than when they found me.
I would love it if we could be creating together forever but I know that as I grow and change, so do my students and sometimes what I am offering meets a need or inspires them and sometimes, they need another direction.
Patreon makes this especially hard for me as seeing my numbers of patreons rise and fall can be compelling (the way likes on a post can) Not in a good way-for me at least.
Exploring and teaching what is most inspiring and (for want of a better word) nourishing to me is the way forward, that is how I share authentically. That is how I align my own needs and art practice with teaching.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about process based creating or any of the other things my post as touched on.
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