The block experienced at the time of using good quality, professional-grade, expensive art supplies points toward a deeper belief we hold about ourselves- “I am not worthy”.
Art supplies are meant to create art. Good art, bad art, pretty art, shitty art, art.
In today’s post, I want to address the two aspects of this blockage that we experience in generously using our expensive art supplies.
The Process of Creating Art
It is of utmost importance that we realize that art is first and foremost about the process and about fulfilling the creator of the said art, the outcome of creating is secondary.
I am here to remind you that the joy and satisfaction that the process of creating brings you is worth way more than the price of those art supplies. Give yourself permission to use your expensive art supplies not to create a masterpiece but to simply play and explore.
Also, as an artist, we should not lose sight of the fact that every piece we create is teaching us something. It is teaching us what doesn’t work, what works, what we like, what we don’t like, what all our tools are capable of doing, how a medium behaves and how we can work with it, how to create colours and build our unique colour library, etc.
The Outcome of Creating Art
I believe this is true for most of us, that we are our harshest critics.
Food for thought: What we are creating is what is flowing through us, it is a manifestation of the unique expression of what needs to come from the unique vessel that we are.
That being said, every artist has to go through creating piles of ‘shit art’ (aka the piece of art we are not personally satisfied with) to arrive at a piece or a body of work that encapsulates the feeling that we wanted to convey. And there is no reason why you shouldn’t be creating your shit art using those expensive supplies that you have stored away to create your good work. Why would you not want to get comfortable using those expensive art supplies on the pieces that will lead you to that piece that clicks for you?
So on the journey of striving to match your vision to the expression of it on paper, remind yourself to be patient and have grace for yourself. One way to practice being kinder to yourself is to be objective, not subjective, about where you believe you need improvement and put your focus on what you do love about the piece you’ve created.
All that to say, give yourself the permission to use your good quality, professional-grade, expensive, special art supplies because you are special and you are worthy and your joy doesn’t have a price tag.