Being consistant with style and technique is important when striving for a career in art. However I find it rather inspiring and rejuvenating to try new ideas. learning a technique in an entirely different discipline can inspire an idea in an area I’m already familiar. For example, I love tactile features in art such different types of papers and fabrics. I enjoy creating mixed media collages and am always looking for new ideas of things to incorporate. This interest in textures definitely plays a role in how I color the images I use in my business.
Being able to jump into using different mediums or at least become familiar with different techniques can also be helpful if you want to broaden the reach of your art. I think it’s important to know who you are as an artist and what you can accomplish, but I think it’s just as important to be able to find ways to bring out new ideas and grow your artistic ability… and for me it’s using different tools.
Over this past weekend I was trying to come up with a gift idea for my grandmother’s birthday. She loves orchids and I knew I wanted to make her something rather than purchase from the store. So I dug out the watercolors, which I haven’t touched in ages, and I painted a little picture of an orchid. I used this image to make reproductions as handmade note cards she can send to her friends. The goal was to come up with something I thought she might like while trying something new. It didn’t turn out like the picture in my head, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
The trick is to challenge your creative brain. Something as simple as a color change, if you use the same palette all the time, can really awake your creative thinking side. Stretch your artist muscle and try something new and see what you can come up with… it might surprise you what you didn’t know you can do.