Discovering Your Own Style Part 1 Get Inspired, Be Aware

“Light Up” 5 x 4″ Original mixed media art on recycled cardboard. $10.00 free chongolio sticker and decal included as a super bonus!

 Discovering and developing your own style is all part of the fun and excitement of the creative process. But I understand first hand that it can also be a slippery noodle to grasp, especially when inspiration is not burning as brightly as you would like it to.

So what I am going to do is write a series of post on ways that may be helpful to get a better handle on ways to cultivate your unique style and how to go about developing and building upon the artistic talents that you are naturally are born with.

For simplicities sake, I am going to keep this in the realm of drawing, doodling and painting However, I think the thoughts behind this exploration can be applied to just about any artistic undertaking.

I would also like to point out that I am on this path of discovery right along side you and that my musings on this subject are ideas that have worked for me over the course of my life as a creative endeavorer.

Your mileage may vary, but I encourage you to join me on this discussion and invite your artsy friends as well. So please leave any comments or thoughts on this topic below or on Facebook and Twitter.

I truly feel that it is important to share with one another the lessons that have worked in favor of nurturing the always evolving relationship with our muses.

!! FIND INSPIRATION IN LIFE !!

I would definitely have to say that statement is step number one. You gotta be lit up about what you are putting down on paper or canvas. Look all around you and figure out what flips your switch and why. Not just art wise, but in all the everyday things that you come across that speak to you in the sometimes subtle language of visual pleasurability.

By increasing your awareness of colors, shapes, textures as well as the more nebulous things that engender feelings, emotions and memories you can begin to distill and better define the essences of what makes you feel alive and makes you tick.

It will then become easier to incorporate them into your art and in turn become a representation you. Of course some folks prefer to look into the abyss and seek out the dark, dirty and creepy and there is nothing wrong with that if that is what you are into.

I like to add skulls, monsters, shrunken heads and other darker imagery into my art from time to time too. To each their own, the point is to look out for the things you find appealing and evoke feelings or emotions that you want to express in your own art and creative projects.

Some examples of influences that I incorporate into my own art are taken from the things I enjoyed as a youngling. Animals, nature and exotic locations, as well as the strange worlds and creatures that came from reading science fiction and watching Saturday morning cartoons have always been a source of endless inspiration to me.

I also have a deep sense of connection to the ocean and the critters who live there. As a bonafide surfer the icons and symbols that are part of old school surf and skateboard culture hold a special meaning to me as well.

The textures and colors that occur from the natural process of erosion as well as weathered wood and metal also hold for me a strange and mysterious fascination.

I could go on and on but you probably get the picture. All of these things contain elements of my life that I want to explore and bring into my art and help define my style.

By observing the colors, shapes, feelings and emotions that they give rise to I am better able to attempt to express them in the art work that I put on paper and on canvas.

The point I am trying to make here is to be aware of your world around you and the feelings that arise when you come across something that you feel attracted too. Then ask yourself what it is about those things that draws you towards them.

Break it down to the bare essences and bring them into your creative fold. You can then begin to a mash up ideas and meld thoughts to form your own unique vision and style.

Inspiration is every where, take a moment to look for it.

Let me know what you find or have found that you were able to pull some inspiration from. It could be as ordinary as the color combination on a package of potato chips or a funky shape of a wad of gum someone stuck on the wall. Look and you will find, awareness is the key!

Are you diggin’ my content? If ya are, help support my creative addiction by purchasing some niftiness out of my Esty shop. I also have been known to take on commission for those who want some custom art made in the Chongolian style.