Be Inspired Again!
Social distancing takes a toll on every one, but body artists have a burden that most others don’t. We have no canvas for our creative outlet. Sure, we can practice on paper or practice boards, and we can keep our skills sharp by working on henna styled crafts. It just doesn’t give inspiration like connecting with another human and creating something special just for them. Without contact we struggle to be inspired.
Today I’m going to share some ideas I’ve had, and some I’ve gleaned from friends, to keep creativity fresh this spring.
Let Go of Making and Just See
Just relax and look at the beautiful things that already exist in the world around you. Some of the photos in the gallery below are art and nature found on walks in my city. Others are from a trip to the the botanical conservatory. Before the garden was closed, my dear friend and henna-partner Rachel took me there to walk and sketch. The photos and sketches from that day still help me to be inspired.
Let Someone Else Give You a Spark
While it may be counter productive to wander through the depths of instagram looking at hundreds of intimidatingly perfect henna designs, there are positive ways to to get a little push from other artists.
Leah Riddell’s “February Posh” is an example. This is a month of practice prompts that get you to stretch your abilities. If you’re unfamiliar, check out the #februaryposh on Instagram or FaceBook. Essentially its “Inktober” for henna!
“Elementals: An Encyclopedia of Henna Patterns” is another. This is a recently released design book by Nev Levin of Remarkable Blackbird that is loaded with myriad design elements ranging from the traditional to the modern, from delicate to bold, and from tiny to expansive fills. This book is perfect for inspiration because it doesn’t do all the work for you. It leaves you the space to be inspired by the unique elements and create your own flow and composition. You can see sample pages and purchase here.
Stretch New Creative Muscles
This may be a great time to pick up a new art or craft! Exercising your artistic urges in a new way can give you a little space from your regular medium allowing fresh perspective. It can also really take the pressure off to be able to express yourself in a way that has no tie to career or income. You can even think of it as meditation in a way- a calming of this particular corner of the mind. Even something as simple as adult coloring books, melt and pour soap, or tie dye might be shockingly helpful!
Some of the opportunities for learning a new creative outlet might out of the question right now such as community classes or clubs, but there are other opportunities to learn! Many libraries are offering online programming that includes arts and crafts. Online learning venues such as Bluprint and The Great Courses are offering free trials. Of course there’s always YouTube. Vetting the value of videos on a topic you’re not familiar with can be difficult. I’ve found that business that sell supplies for a craft tend to have reliable YouTube channels with the most helpful videos. When I was first learning to spin yarn, for example, The Woolery was an entry level supplier. Their videos were very helpful. Speaking of spinning, check out a few photos of my fun with dyeing and spinning wool!
New Tools!
My friends will tell you I’m a penny pincher. I have a tendency to work way harder than I have to in order to use cheap or hand-me-down tools. I will never forget my first lesson in how much of a mistake that can be. When I was just starting college one of the things on my supply list for art 102 (2D intro) was a specific $25 #4 round paintbrush. And that’s in mid-90s dollars! My gut said “WTF!?” but the moment I used that brush I could tell why it was worth it. That brush also lasted me until I was well over 30 and all the paint had crumbled off the handle.
As Henna artists, we are quite lucky to have access to excellent tools that are still quite affordable. It might sting the pocket a little to throw down for high end essential oils, but I bet you’ve never spent more than $15 for 100 g of the sexiest henna you ever touched! We sure don’t have to consider painful investments like a kiln or blowtorch! Shown in the video is my latest batch of henna, Saraswati 2020, that is the stringiest thing I’ve had come though my shop in years. It feels so good! Its a real practice motivator for me!
It’s Okay Not to Make Anything
After all this, I still think it’s very important to say that it’s okay not to be productive. It’s okay not to be artistic or create. It’s okay to not be inspired. You can do a puzzle, you can binge Netflix, you can soak in the bath, you can sleep in. Make your house shine like only pandemic anxiety and improvised cleaning supplies can. Or watch the cat hair tumbleweeds roll by. It’s okay to feel whatever it is that you’re feeling right now. We all have different ways to cope and express and emote. Give yourself space to do it your way.
What you do to be inspired? Please share your ideas in the comments.