How to Explore Your Unique Creative Voice
Embarking on a journey to find one’s unique creative voice is an exhilarating adventure for any artist.
But it can also be starkly daunting, especially when we are layering too much expectation and harsh judgement on ourselves.
So to help keep the joy in the creative process, to allow creativity to flow easily, taking time to grow into your own creative voice and style can be far more enjoyable.
Your Unique Creative Voice Revealed
Here you can explore six practical tips for revealing your own unique creative voice:
1. The Quest for Individuality
Every artist has a distinctive voice waiting to be unveiled. Begin by reflecting on your personal experiences, emotions, and the stories that resonate with you.
Embrace your uniqueness, and let it shine through your art.
While often this can be easier said than done, it is the continual practice of art, of developing not just creative talents but also technical skills so you have the abilities to express the ideas are you envisage.
Embracing a Sketchbook Practice
A sketchbook practice can really help achieve this growth as these art journals are the ideal place to experiment, test and refine techniques while keeping track of awe ideas, allowing them to develop.
10 Ways to Explore Your Creativity with a Sketchbook Practice Part 2
In Part 2 of our series on exploring your artistry with a sketchbook practice we share 10 inspiring ideas to get stuck into on your path to daily creativity.
2. Mixed Media Magic
Embrace the versatility of mixed media to add depth and dimension to your creations. Combine traditional mediums like paint and pencil with unconventional materials such as found objects, textiles, or even digital elements.
This fusion of diverse mediums allows you to break free from the constraints of a single artistic discipline.
Experiment with layering different materials to create texture and visual interest. The interplay of various elements can evoke a rich sensory experience for both the artist and the viewer.
Unexpected Sources for Your Creative Voice
The joy of working with found objects is often in the process of discovery, whether it is a walk along the tide line or bush path, a paddle along a favourite waterway or in the garden.
Textiles can be found in the sewing basket, as well as in op shops, the pile of clothes heading to the op shop, markets or at textile workshops.
Digital elements easily range from ebooks to digital prints to pdf’s to newsletters and can involve tools such as Procreate, Photoshop, Indesign, Canva can help you alter and experiment. These elements can be used in a physical context or remain in the online world.
3. Collage as a Catalyst
One powerful tool for self-expression is the art of collage. Gather images, textures, and colours that speak to you.
Collage allows artists to blend diverse elements, creating a visual narrative that is uniquely their own. Experiment with juxtaposing unexpected elements to spark new ideas and perspectives.
Try incorporating personal photos, magazine clippings, ebooks, prints, greeting cards or even fabric scraps into your collages to infuse your art with a touch of your own history.
4. Listening to Your Intuition
Trust your instincts and let your intuition guide your creative process. Pay attention to what resonates with you on a visceral level. The more you connect with your inner self, the more authentic and powerful your artistic voice will become.
Remember to also be kind to yourself as you are growing creatively. When you are reviewing what you’ve created ask yourself whether you would use the same language, tone of voice or level of judgement with a loved one? Or would you be kinder and fairer?
Connection with your inner self is often easier when you’re coming from a place of allowing and kindness. Plus, it is far more enjoyable.
5. Continuous Exploration
Artistic evolution is a lifelong journey. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and explore new techniques and styles. Growth often comes from embracing the unknown and pushing the boundaries of your artistic comfort.
When you look at any artists’ work over a period of decades you can see the results of their own creative journeys and explorations as their style changes and evolves.
There is rarely a single fixed style or voice for an artist. As each of us explores and develops creatively, our work shifts and morphs.
Janet Fuller Paints Joy, Courage & King Island
It’s time to meet King Island artist Janet Fuller and be inspired by her love for creativity, colour and being bold!
6. Recognising Your Unique Creative Voice
It can often be easier for others to recognise our style, our unique creative voice before we can see it.
While we may be frustrated that our work keeps coming out one way and we want it to look another way, that resistance could well be fighting against our natural style; the very voice we’ve been searching for.
None of us will ever paint just like Grace Cossington Smith or Margaret Olley, no matter how much we would love to.
And we shouldn’t be painting exactly the same as another.
Learning the technical skills required to emulate a favourite artist can be a valuable endeavour, but that’s as far as it need to go.
From learning those technical abilities and blending them with our own natural style, we can grow through the different stages of our artistic life, evolving our own unique creative voice.
Join Art Trails Tasmania
Join our growing members community today to share your Artist Profile story.
Finding Your Unique Creative Voice
Finding your unique creative voice is a profound and ongoing exploration.
Through the use of sketchbooks, collage and mixed media, you can uncover layers of self-expression that go beyond conventional artistic boundaries.
Embrace the journey, trust your instincts, and let your art tell the story that only you can narrate.
Embark on the adventure of self-discovery, and watch as your creative voice unfolds on the canvas of your imagination.
It is all much easier to experience this creative journey when we are kind to ourselves about what we are creating. We make because in doing so we find joy.
Keep reading the Creativity Calendar stories
10 Ways to Heal and Flourish with Creativity and Community Part 2
10 Nurturing Paths to Creativity Creativity has been both my refuge and my guide in these tender months of grief and exhaustion. This is Part 2 of a two-part series, where I continue to explore how creativity offers quiet pathways to healing when life feels undone. ...
Finding a Path to Healing with Creativity and Community Part 1
The Whispers of Creativity It seems that every stage of life throws up challenges, denting your heart and opening the doors to questioning what’s important, and for me, there’s always the whispers from creativity: “let creativity in, yours or ours”. In the last while,...
15 Ways to Reignite Your Creative Practice and Thrive Part 2
15 Practical and Exciting Ways to Find Your Path Back to Creativity Welcome back to Part 2 of our series on Finding Your Path to Creativity with your own creative practice! Whether you’re returning to a long-loved creative practice or seeking fresh inspiration, the...
Discover our Artist members & their stories…
Jennifer Grubba Weaves Strength Into Every Wire Sculpture She Makes
Jennifer Grubba is Untangling a Path to Healing with Her Wire Sculpture Practice My wire sculpture has been part of my recovery after a diagnosis of PTSD, Depression, Severe Anxiety and Agrophobia. I find the wire is incredibly meditative, and I can easily lose myself...
Jacquelyn Mansell Paints Tasmania’s Spirit With Heart and Purpose
Meet Tasmanian Artist Jacquelyn Mansell The greatest joy in my art comes from the profound connection between myself, the subject, and the viewer. Immersing myself in the landscapes and wildlife of Lutruwita (Tasmania) allows me to translate the island's raw beauty...
Meet the Vibrant, Active and Friendly West Tamar Art Group
West Tamar Art Group: Making Art Amongst the Vineyard The West Tamar Art Group is a friendly and inclusive community that brings together artists, makers, and art lovers from across the stunning West Tamar region. Founded in 2013, the group was created to provide...
Read What Our Members Say About Belonging
Join the growing, supportive artists community today and have your Artist story told here.
Belinda is doing a great job creating a professional looking artist hub online. Check out the profile I posted recently to see how well she does them. To all my artist friends let’s help make this THE go to place to discover local artists.
You won’t regret joining Art Trails Tasmania . It’s a welcoming community for creatives at any career stage.Becoming an Art Trails Tasmania member wasn’t a hard decision for me to make as it’s such a wealth of knowledge and support.Being member provides a quality way to showcase your creative endeavours and it’s quickly growing in reach.
We operate a home based picture framing business and recently joined Art Trails Tasmania as a means to giving us exposure to the wider artist community. We have almost immediately seen increase in activity thru our online sites, which I am certain will lead to more opportunities to grow our business.
