Establishing Your Vision
Why did you choose to read this book? What did you want to gain from reading it?
Something inspired you to start reading this particular book. Even if your honest answer is that someone else made you read it or you simply started looking at it because you were bored, you still choose to read this specific book entitled “How to Be An Artist”. Why?
Some of you may have a clear idea as to why you started reading this. Some of you may want to be classical artists, oil paint brush or stone chisel in hand. Some of you may want to create art out of new technology, computer and hard drives in tow. Some of you may already have an established art background but you feel like fine tuning your focus. Some of you may not want to try to make any kind of physical art whatsoever but you want to tap into your own personal creative abilities.
The point is that whether you work with painting, ceramics, photography, digital media, film - whether you are a writer, a poet, a filmmaker, an actor, a musician, a fine artist, a graphic designer, or any combination thereof – whatever your medium and whatever reason you want to live creatively - it is possible to become an artist and/or a creative being who is true to yourself and who lives a creative life.
However, no matter what you want to be, what kind of art work you want to make, or what kind of personal circumstances you face, there is one common requirement that all of you will need to grasp. You must…. absolutely must…. have a vision.
Now some of you are going to say, “Of course I have vision, I want to paint a ten foot painting of a mule” or “My vision is to write a sci-fi novel about space pigs.” Or “I want to apply my creativity to my back yard flower garden”. All of those visions are great and I expect to hear those types of plans from artists, but that is not what I am asking you to envision.
What I want to emphasize here is that, no matter what type of creative path you want to take, no matter what kind of art work you want to make, you must have a vision, not for the artwork exactly, but for your life.
Your Personal Creative Life Vision Statement
It is time to write your personal creative vision statement for your life.
Take as long as you need to really think about this and include as much detail as possible. You can start by answering the following questions. If you want to expand your vision statement beyond these questions, I encourage you to do so.
First, close your eyes and think of your ideal life. What are you doing? Who is around you? Where do you live? What do you eat? What do you do when you get up in the morning? What do you do during the day? The evening? Really try to see and feel what this ideal life would be like for you. If your mind is sending you negative or judgmental thoughts like “This is a fantasy… I can never do this.” Then just sit for a bit more, breath until the negative thoughts subside and once they subside keep envisioning your ideal life.
After you have gotten a clear vision in your head, write down, with as much detail as you can...
