If you’ve taken art classes over the years you might be familiar with this problem … you study colour theory, you learn the importance of value contrast, and you take lessons in composition and balance. You get it all, you really do … but still you have one question: what do I paint?

Class leaders assume you must know what to paint, because they know what they want to paint. But many of us do not.

If you’re like many people, you have spent very little time on yourself over the years. You have been busy with a career or children or grandchildren or caring for elderly parents and keeping a house and paying the bills and looking after everyone else’s needs. There has been precious little time to rest, let alone think deeply about yourself and your inspiration.

But if you want to paint, that’s what you MUST now do because you won’t know what to paint until you have spent some time with yourself.

This means thinking deeply about what inspires you. And I don’t mean just saying “I love mountains.”  I mean really thinking about why you love mountains. What do they represent for you? What do they remind you of? What specifically is it that you love about them? Is it the rock faces you love? Is it the grandeur? Is it the feeling you get when you stand on top of one? Is it the fact that your happy childhood holidays were spent in the mountains? Knowing specifically what inspires you and WHY it inspires you is vital.

And what about your visual tastes. What art do you love? Why? What colours do you wear or put in your home? Is your decor clean and minimal, or cosy and warm? Modern or vintage?

What are your values? What really matters to you? Is it love or connection or family or community or peace or wealth or security? Often your core values will play a key role in what you ultimately create.

What about the key moments in your life? What events shaped you? Why?

Finally – and most importantly – what feels good when you make your art?

Do you enjoy loose brush strokes? Do you like to draw into wet paint? Do you have the most fun when you paint realistically or do you most enjoy intuitive abstracts? Do you like bright colours or muted tones? What feels amazing? What sparks joy?

Any or all of these things can play into what your art is ultimately about. The key thing is that you start to notice … notice what you care about. Notice what you choose. Notice what you photograph. Notice what you stop to look at. Go through old sketchbooks if you have them and look for common themes. Notice how you feel. Notice what moves you. Notice what you love.

Pay attention to yourself and your art focus will begin to become clear.

If you’re interested in delving more into yourself and your art, join me for a free 7-day online course starting June 15th. Think of it as an online art retreat – a whole week focused on YOU! A whole week of making art that inspires and excites you. By the end of this week, you will be energised and excited about exploring your own unique art path. Click here to reserve your place.