Many times, artists look to others for an opinion about whether a work is done, abandoning their own decision process for someone else’s view. It’s also very common for someone—a well-meaning instructor, friend, artist, or a family member—to offer unsolicited advice about something being done. “Don’t touch it, it’s perfect” may seem like a helpful comment, but it can hinder the artist’s own path and vision. In a classroom situation, an instructor’s role may be to push a student who wants to stop too soon, but within the context of the student’s own goals. For all of us, asking for or offering constructive feedback is helpful, but we need to take responsibility for setting our own criteria for finished work.

That involves intuition of what feels right, plus an objective understanding of weak spots and the need for more edits and changes. Coming up with good questions and criteria to decide if something is done is important. And it’s also important to be honest about feeling impatient or being willing to settle for less than you are capable of creating in the desire to be finished.

Often, we need to set a work aside to gain some distance and insight into where a piece is heading. And sometimes, we can decide that we’ve learned what we can and move on. Even with media that can be reworked many times, like an acrylic or oil painting, abandonment can sometimes suit our best interests. It may not be until we start something new that we realize how much we’ve learned in the previous struggle.

In the end, taking full responsibility for deciding something is done and gaining some clarity about your own criteria is the path to excellence in your work.

Thanks to everyone who has been sharing the show and to Anne Jackson for donating via PayPal. Check out her website at https://www.annejacksonfineart.com/. We mentioned her in Episode 158, Abstracting With Emotion. If you would like to donate to the Messy Studio Podcast donate here.
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There are many parallels between walking and the creative process. Walking is a slow, potentially meditative activity that helps us to be present and to pay attention to the visual world. And as with the creative process, we feel free to explore, ramble, and focus on the journey itself rather than a particular destination. In addition, we gradually gain stamina and confidence in our ability to keep going. Overcoming resistance to going out for a walk helps strengthen other good hablits, like going to the studio even when you don't feel like it.

it's true that many of us have limitations on walking--physical, seasonal, or geographic. But it is not about how far, fast, or often you go. If walking is a possibility, it is one of the best ways to bring mind, body, and spirit into alignment. For artists and creatives, there is another dimension to walking in its ability to bolster your creativity and skills useful in your art practice.

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These questions may be big or small. Where is a particular piece heading? What “works”, and what does not? When is a piece finished? There are also deeper questions about our overall practice and direction. These questions play an important role in our work, and in developing a personal voice.

If we are not asking questions, it can only mean that we are completely satisfied with our work, which is seldom the case. We can always be asking the question “what happens next?” or “how did I arrive at this point?” When we stop asking questions, we are halting the creative process and stagnating. At this point it is easy to become bored, and for the quality of work to suffer.

Some of the best questions to ask start with “what if”. These questions are basic to finding your way into a process that works for you. We may not even be conscious of these questions, or put them into words, though it is not a bad idea to do so. A good idea is to keep a log or journal of your creative activities. You may wish to take notes as you work, but if this is disruptive to your process try taking a few minutes at the end of your day to write down any fresh insights.

Our work is built on the gradual accumulation of knowledge that arises from asking questions. Try putting a little more intention into these questions. Think about the questions you have asked in the past, the ones that you are currently asking, and the direction of your work. As you think about these questions more consciously, your work will gain depth, meaning, and complexity.

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In episode 79 of The Messy Studio Podcast we talked about the benefits of going deeply into a chosen way of working, rather than engaging in a lot of different approaches. We acknowledged that this isn’t right for everyone, especially for more conceptually driven artists whose work is united through ideas rather than media. But just about anyone can benefit from the occasional foray into different ways of working.

Branching out isn’t about abandoning your primary focus, but enjoying the pleasure and excitement of trying new things. This can be an expression of the same ideas that you gravitate toward in your main work, or something completely different. It is a good way to explore concepts and techniques that have appealed to you in the past, but you have never pursued.

Artists tend to be open and curious individuals, and it is natural to have multiple facets and approaches to an art practice. Listen to that small inner voice that occasionally says “would it be interesting to try another medium, if only as a playful, experimental interlude?”

Although a sideline may eventually develop into a true skill, your attitude is often different from the beginning. You are free from any need to prove yourself so there can be pure joy in pursuing these other paths. And along the way, you are learning skills that can impact the way you work most often. In this episode we take a look at specific examples of what branching out can bring to your art practice as a whole.

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