Experience

I will go out on a limb here and say that this is the most important step in the creative process. It can also be the scariest part for some. But unless you force yourself into new experiences you will not grow your art. If this is scary for you, accept this one truth and you will be able to move forward - YOU ARE GOING TO BE BAD AT IT. 

Hey, guess what? It's ok to be bad. It's ok for a project not to come out right the first time. It's ok to not like the new experience and decide to never try it again. The important part is trying the new experience. 

We have no concept of the form our creativity is striving to take. Our creativity has so much more potential than we can ever imagine. If we do not open new doors for the creativity to go through then we limit our potential. We may never see what our creation could become. 

So get your ass out of the box and try a new experience. 

Take a class - this could be in your chosen art form or this could be a totally different art form. Try a class on a technique you are interested in but take it from a new teacher to learn their perspective. Learning new techniques from others is vital to keeping our art growing. 

YouTube - something you want to learn? Someone has done a How-To on Youtube. Watching videos is a great way to learn and practice simultaneously. Didn’t catch that step? Rewind and watch it again. There are countless new things to learn on the World Wide Web. 

Try a New Pattern or Technique - I am a classic piecer in my quilting. My mother does art quilts. We both pick up patterns that our outside our traditional style and give them a go. Most of the time we decide once was enough. But every time we have a new skill to add to our repertoire. 

Don’t leash your creativity and hold it back from exploring new experiences. The experiences are vital to the development of your art. Be brave. You can do this.

*Read the other 3 Steps to the Cultivating Creativity - Environment - Exposure - Emanate