What Is Expressive Art?

"Only in spontaneity can we be who we truly are."  -John Mclaughlin

 

Expressive Art is Natural and Does Not Require Technique

Expressive art is a form of authentic self-expression. Expresssive art is not a technique that you learn with your mind so that the result will be "art" but more of a joyful process of exploration of your inner world through spontaneous art making.

 

Every human being has the deep urge to express themselves honestly but we are not often encouraged to be our most unique selves. Expressive art requires no special talent, skill or inspiration.  Because your natural, original style is already within, you are already good enough to begin. You are creative and whole, now and always. Authentic creative expression simply amplifies and reminds you of your wholeness.

 

Talent Arises Out of Self-Love and Acceptance

Our creativity is available at all times and needs only an invitation to reawaken. Talent as an artist comes from taking risks and feeling everything. This invites spontaneity. In my opinion "good" art is authentic art, no matter what it looks like. In authentic art we do not pre-plan anything during the art making and we learn to embrace whatever is expressed without judgement. As soon as we try to create something "good" we can easily become tense and self-critical. Creativity is about loving yourself just as you are and allowing yourself to express yourself as you are meant to without shame or judgement.

 

There are Two Ways To Create

This is an educational site. I invite you to explore and learn more about creating without preplanning. As an expressive artist I like to explore intuitive drawing, painting and collage and I share my creative process with you here on this site. Your original style will be different than mine. As a former gallery artist I have both a "cultivated style" and a "natural intuititive style" of creating. It is the intuitive way of creating that I share with you here.

 

I once visited an artist's studio and she also had two distinct styles of painting. Her one style was realistic with a heavy emphasis on trying out new techniques. She told me that she liked to challenge her mind to stretch in new artistic ways and that she often copied other artist's styles and techniques. "I work very hard on these paintings!" she told me. This is what I would call her cultivated style. She painted this body of work for the results they produced.

 

When I pointed out several of her almost primitive, tribal paintings she laughed. "Oh those are easy!" She exclaimed. "I do those just for myself for relaxation." I have been drawing like that since I was a child." She told me that those paintings just poured out of her effortlessly but that she thought they were strange and not very marketable. To me they were beautiful in their rawness and aliveness, full of risk and adventure. These paintings were the outpouring of her natural, intuitive style. She painted this body of work for the love and passion of the creative process.

 

It is my aim here on this site that you fall in love with your own creative process and yourself along the way. If you have not tried creating like this since you were  child you will be amazed at how much creativity you have inside of you. There are worlds upon inner worlds for you to discover. It is truly an endless adventure.

Collage is an Easy Way to Begin Creating Spontaneously

My main expressive art workshop offering is called Collage for Self-Discovery - Part 1 takes you deeply into a daily spontaneous art practice. Surprisingly many of us do not allow much spontaneity in our lives. It is easy however to surrender control with spontaneous collage. There is no need to have any experience in painting or drawing yet you will be surprised at how much your collages will express who you are in this moment.

Part 2 of Collage for Self-Discovery offers tools to help you move through the more difficult emotions. Often when we open up to our natural creativity, fear, anger, and doubt can come up strongly because we are often critisized for our natural inclinations when they do not fit in. Part Two explores the places where we lose our creative freedom and offers a way through the most pervasive of creative blocks.

 

I invite you into a rich expressive world of never ending revelations. The aim is true creative freedom. Stay tuned for more courses to build your creative muscles and the development of your own spontaneous expression.