Finding your voice: my journey as an artist
: Overcoming content overwhelm, comparison and distraction
I know the feeling of having too many ideas, too many influences, and too many opinions. It's hard to find your own voice amidst the noise of the world, online or offline. It can feel like everyone else has it all figured out while you're still trying to find your footing.
When I first started as an artist (which doesn’t seem like too long ago), I felt like I had to follow a certain set of rules.
Eager to learn, I would look at how other artists are doing their art, by reading their articles, listening to podcasts, scrolling through social media. And feeling like I wasn't measuring up.
The more I did that, and I did loads of that, the more I realised that it distracted me and got me further from where I wanted to be.
As someone who was then, only beginning to explore her creativity, before I learned to listen to myself, I let all those noises drown out what I have to say and can say. It was tough to tune out the noise and focus on my own discovery journey. I have to undo some of the data I’ve absorbed into my subconscious.
Here are some intentional actions that I’m taking to gain clarity in my direction as an artist, find my own style, and discover my voice.
Let me just say this: these are all very difficult for me to do, because it goes beyond a formula, it goes within my set beliefs, habits, and framing (not the art-print kind). But, anyhoo, it has to be hacked bit by bit. Here goes.
Take breaks and tune out the noise.
When you're constantly bombarded with other artists' work, it can be hard to hear your own voice. For a person like me who’s very sensitive to the environment, I realised how important it is for me to step away from social media, art communities, and other artists' work.
Disconnect to connect. Disengage to engage.
Try new things.
Learn to allow myself to experiment and make mistakes. From our art being laughed at (is that a dog or cow?), to asking silly questions, most of us were moulded to be afraid of making mistakes, and this has carried on into our adult lives. Thank you, no thank you, teachers and grown-ups for berating kids for making mistakes.
I need to unlearn a lifetime of: don’t make mistakes.
Be true to yourself.
Ok, ignore the stereotype associated with the narcissistic millennial culture, but “you do you” works well for creativity. Don't worry about what other people are doing. Don't look at what other people are doing! The latter is like a moth to light for me, hence, refer to point #1.
Ok—self pep talk time: I have my quirks, preferences, experiences, personal history, cultural background, and emotional landscape—these come forth in my art creation, and in me, as a person. These are what make us unique individuals.
Give your art…and yourself, the space to bloom.
If you're struggling to find your own voice, know that you're not alone. And remember, there's no one right way to be creative. It's all about finding what works for you.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic. Share your comments below and let's keep the conversation going.
💖 Melinda
p.s. In putting into action the above point of “trying new things”, I’m midway through creating a new collection, with six pieces of original artwork, featuring beautiful urban landscapes with historical buildings in Portugal, all created using my line drawing style. And there's a little surprise too—I am experimenting with a new medium to combine with my black fine-liner pens. I can't wait to share it with you all!
Here’s a sneak peek:
I invite you to sign up for my art shop mailing list, it’s where you’ll get first access when the collection launches around the end of May, and enjoy a 20% discount off your first purchase.