How Do I Find My Style?

One of the most common questions asked by artists is: "how do I find my style?" My answer is always the same: Stop trying and your style will find you.I believe that the desire to make art is an amazing gift.Not everyone gets to notice the beauty that do. Not everyone gets to feel the thrill of creating something. Not everyone gets to express themselves fully. But if we struggle with that gift, I believe it’s because we focus on the wrong things. We focus on what we want to achieve rather than how we want to feel (by the way, I think this applies to life too).The desire to achieve a result (make a good painting, find a style, create a consistent series etc.) actually gets in the way of us achieving that result.I teach people about painting but I teach so much more than that. I help artists to change the way they think – because our thoughts create our reality. And because too often we allow our thoughts and our trying and our striving to get in the way of what’s possible for us.Think about it this way: your mind can only make plans for a painting based on what it already knows. But everything it knows is in the past  – and the entire sum of your mind's knowledge is tiny compared to the infinite array of amazing possibilities. By using our limited, past-focused mind when we paint, we block everything we are capable of but haven't yet experienced.Think back to a situation in your life where you clung to something because you were convinced you needed it, but you failed to hold on and it went anyway. And looking back you can see that it had to go. Without it leaving, none of the stuff that came after could have happened.The reason you held on so long is that you could not imagine all the stuff that was about to happen. You could only think in terms of what you already knew. So you were blocking the stuff that wanted to happen because you were clinging so tightly to what you already knew.This is what happens to many of us when we make our art. It's scary to let go and trust. But it's the only way to get to your authentic work. So to find your style, you need to stop trying to find your style. Step out of your own  way, and it will find you.If you would like to find your own style and fall in love with your work, sign up to be notified when I re-open the groundbreaking "Find Your Joy" course. Just CLICK HERE to learn more and scroll down to the form and fill in your details. I'll also send you some helpful tips and fun exercises in the meantime.You are also welcome to join our free Facebook group by clicking here.