What gets in the way for you?

I have a question for you and I hope you have a few minutes to let me know your answer, but first let me explain...

I've been thinking a lot about my art process lately. I've been thinking about how much time I set aside for painting. I've been thinking about what times of day work best for me, and I've been thinking about how to create an environment that works well for me. I've also considered materials and substrates and all sorts of practical things like not having enough nice brushes, or running out of certain colours.

I often just plough on without reflection because I love painting even when my work doesn't please me... but now it feels like time for this period of stepping back and reflecting.

This is a challenge for me - I like to go, go, GO! Somewhere along the way I learned that hard work makes you a good and worthwhile person - or at least I learned that working hard is one way to prove you are a good and worthwhile person.

"Prove to who?" you might ask.

"Good question," I would reply.

Because actually, our creativity needs room to breathe. How can we come up with new ideas or incubate the small seeds of existing ideas without time or space? That would be like asking a plant to grow without water.

For many people, inspiration comes from the outside world - they need to go out to shows, or cafes or busy train stations. Maybe they need to go on holiday or just take a drive somewhere new. The newness of the environment then sparks ideas that they can react to.

For some of us though, it's a quieter process. We need to go inside ourselves so that we can respond to ideas that seem to come from nowhere. If we're not still and quiet, we can't hear the whispers.

I think knowing yourself is the first key here - are you an "outside" person or an "inside" person?

And then I think once you know, you can start to reflect further... how could you give yourself what you need? What small steps can you take today or this week or this month?

Art doesn't just come from nowhere, and we are responsible for creating the conditions that can allow it to flourish. Let's face it, no-one else is going to do it for us!