Last week I wrote about the idea of Creative Trellises. To give a little follow-up on that post, I’m sharing 6 different creative trellises that could be used to foster your own creative practice:

1) USE AN UNCONVENTIONAL MEDIUM
If you’re used to painting in oils, try drawing in charcoal. If you’ve never tried something three-dimensional, try playing around with an easy-to-use clay like Sculpey.

2) TRY A LIMITED COLOR PALETTE
Choose just three colors, or even a single color plus only black and white, and create an entire painting using only the tints and shades from that single hue.

3) USE SKETCHBOOK PROMPTS
If you want to create something but need a springboard for ideas, try Googling sketchbook prompts, or using one from this list.

4) JOIN A COMMUNITY OF OTHER CREATIVE PEOPLE
Almost every city has a local community of artists, or just lovers-of-the-arts. Look at galleries near you and bring a friend to visit a show opening where you can meet people around you who care about art and creativity (they are usually more like social events than any pretentious or intimidating kind of atmosphere like it seems in the movies). OR look online! There are Facebook groups dedicated to people practicing their art and giving/getting feedback. Spoiler: I’ll be creating my own Facebook Group filled with friends like you to accompany my Studio School course coming up in August!

5) GIVE YOURSELF A TIME LIMIT
In my college figure drawing class we would warm up most days with a round of timed sketches of that day’s model. They would range from 15 seconds to 30 minutes, and it was such a helpful tactic to push past the initial feeling of timidness that can accompany a blank page. Because I had to get something on the page before the timer dinged, I wasn’t concerned with it being perfect, and naturally, some of those uninhibited gestural sketches became some of my favorites.

6) TAKE A COURSE!
MY FAVORITE SUGGESTION! It’s no secret I have a soft spot for art school. It’s where I was challenged, stretched, grown, and shaped as an artist (and also as a human being). Having instruction from professors who knew their way around a studio, assignments to develop my skills and practice all kinds of styles, and late night alone in the art building set me up for a life where creativity was a natural part of my life rather than just an assignment I did. Art school gave me the tools to grow my own creative practice, and ultimately my business. Like anything, the full college art experience had it’s downsides, too (ahem, tuition… as well as unsustainable hours and a bit more existential angst than is strictly necessary), which is why I created the Studio School - a comprehensive course walking you through everything from color theory to advanced painting techniques. Studio School is entirely online and you can work at your own pace and be connected to fellow creatives who are also honing their skills and finding their style, just like you.

SIGN UP HERE IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO PAINT

(AND BE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN STUDIO SCHOOL IS AVAILABLE)!