Embracing Creativity

Importance of Solitude

Most creatives understand the importance of solitude for creative output. The classic concept of “a room of one’s own” in order to put pencil to paper, paint to canvas, etc. The production of art often requires getting away from the distractions of daily life and putting in the time.

There are many ways to get this break, the cafe, the studio, the retreat. But there is more to creativity and art than just hiding away and making things.

Importance of Feedback

A key component to creativity is the feedback cycle. If you’re going to embrace creativity you also have to embrace criticism of your work. Now not in the complaining and putting down your work, that you should never take. But the critical review and the critical feedback that can help you grow in skill as an artist to make your vision become that much more realized.

Another key aspect of quality feedback is that it should be coming from someone you’d seek out advice from. Even if you’re selling your work and customers are buying, customer feedback is not always the most helpful. Why did they buy the painting? Because it matched their upholstery. Interesting maybe, but not helpful feedback that will improve your practice.

Importance of Community

Access to a community of other creatives can jumpstart your own artistic and creative practice. A group of other creative people in your life can help push you forward and motivate you to keep producing and improving. As the group improves together the quality of feedback you can give each other also improves, an artistic community can compound returns for everyone. This is why retreats and classes are so important. Formal or informal they can put you in community with other creatives to gain perspective on your own work.

The Art Colony (Provincetown Mass)

I have been spoiled. Growing up on the coast of Maine with an artist for a mother I knew early on the importance of community and just how powerful getting time in an artist colony could be. I also found myself with some exposure to the idea of an art colony and information on several well known ones quite young.

About five years ago I was able to start spending summers in Provincetown Mass, which is argued to be the oldest continuous art colony in the USA.

The fishing village turned artist colony turned LGBT oasis is a solid blend of all of those things. The town is full of art galleries, street musicians. And several artists are selling on the street. PTown is also a town where art sells for a premium.

It’s a place where art and creativity is just in every breath. It’s hard not to be creative when in Provincetown. Feedback, encouragement, and examples of folks making it happen.

Looking forward to returning

We’ve sailed south to Florida to hide from the winter, and while we’re not dealing with the waist high snow in pTown, we’re still cold. It’s reaching the 20s (near -6c). Not exactly the warm palm tree productive winter of working from the beach I was looking for.

Needless to say I’m very much looking forward to returning to Provincetown in the spring. The plan is to be there for June, July, August, and September. Being active, and using the summer to work on finding my way into more of that community.

I hope that you’re able to find a community of creatives that you can find feedback, encouragement, and see examples of folks making it happen to help make your own practice that much stronger and more sustainable.