I was chatting to some friends the other week about artmaking... as I do... and some really interesting blocks came up.
One friend shared that she absolutely adores making art but can't find the time for it... another friend told me that she would absolutely love to try her hand at watercolour painting, but she just can't justify spending time and money on something that feels so indulgent. And yet another told me that despite being an incredibly creative soul, she couldn't make any more art because she had nowhere to hang it. The stories that came out of my beautiful friends brought a knowing sadness to my heart.
I completely understood what they were talking about. I'd been in the same position, feeling like I was too time poor, feeling like artmaking was indulgent, feeling like my art had to have a functional purpose (to decorate my walls) and couldn't simply be for my own personal enjoyment, growth and happiness.
How wrong I was.
On all fronts.
Today, years on from taking my artmaking seriously, I can truly see the endless value in artmaking. I could go on and on about this until the cows come home (and I don't own any cows, so that would take a while), so I will focus on the latter friend's story for this blog post - the friend who said she didn't have anywhere to hang her art.
Something that she would benefit from knowing is firstly that art has a purpose beyond function and decoration...
Thomas Merton, the late spiritual writer, wrote that "art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." Merton was likely referring to both artmaking and art appreciation, possibly to all areas of art including drama, dance and song, yet his message is strong... that art offers hidden benefits - specifically those of identity exploration and escapism.
Art offers so much more beyond the physical and functional.
That is why artists across the globe, across the years, have painted and created and sculpted their hearts out despite the storage issues that this creates. Just do an online search "how to store artwork" and 1380 million (yes, I said million) search results come up. Generations of artists have faced this challenge and committed to their art despite any space restrictions they may have faced.
For the everyday creative who dabbles with painting on paper, here are some practical artwork tips that will help you demolish the "I Have No Wall Space" barrier once and for all:
1. Use cardboard art wallets from your local office supply store.
2. Choose an A3 art display folder.
3. Give your artworks as gifts.
4. Repurpose your artworks by cutting them into greeting cards, postcards and gift tags.
5. Donate your art to charity raffles.
6. Use a sketchbook.
And with the wise words of Neil Gaiman, the English author, I will leave you inspired to get your art on:
"The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before."
Ros
x
P.S. If you would like my FREE video tutorial - head HERE to get painting!