If creativity is a flower, trust and belief are the soil, roots, and water that nourish it. Trust and belief are the rich earth in which the fruits of our labor are born and flourish. Without these essential components, the flower of creativity will lose petals, the leaves will wilt, and the fruit will wither and fall. But with an abundance of trust, your potential for creative growth is endless!
Artists Need a Foundation of Trust
What kind of trust am I talking about? Trust is multi-faceted for the artist. First of all, artists must have a deep sense of trust in themselves. They also must trust the creative process and journey. And ultimately, it’s important to trust fellow artists, art lovers, and community members. Trust and creativity go hand in hand!
Explore these three tips for creating a strong foundation of trust to support your art practice:
-
Nurture Yourself with Self-Trust and Faith
Creativity prompts the individual to expose how they are feeling and what is happening in their hearts and heads. Baring this for the world to see, as rewarding as it ultimately is, can be scary! “A picture is worth a thousand words,” as the saying goes—and those exposing their souls on the canvas are bravely saying a thousand words at a time about their innermost thoughts and feelings.
Self-assurance is crucial in this process, as it can be vulnerable. Positive affirmations, empowering self-talk, and joyful meditation are just a few tools to begin to foster this self-trust and belief. But at the end of the day, much of it comes down to exercising the power of positive thinking in your painting, creative, and daily practices.
Of course it’s natural to have doubts and fears, but find the trust, belief, and confidence to affirm your work, your abilities, and your painting practice. Creativity is a muscle, and muscles that are tense, tight, and full of stress and fear don’t perform as well as those that are nurtured and relaxed. Find the trust in yourself, nurture your creativity, and watch your practice flourish!
2. Trust the Process
In addition to trusting oneself, artists must also find trust in the process and journey, not just the product. I know how exciting the end destination can seem, and how tempting it is to feel discouraged when you feel like you aren’t as far along as you’d like to be. This is where that trust comes in—you have to trust that you are where you’re supposed to be at this point in time, and that process is a beautiful part of the journey.
Trust the practice, trust the process, and don’t worry about where you’ll be a week, a year, or a decade from now.
I’ve worked hard on trusting and building faith in myself, and I don’t think I’d have my successful art practice and art business if I hadn’t. This belief and serenity allows me to stay in the moment when I’m painting and to tune in to my impulses, ideas, and emotions.
3. Trust Others
I’ve additionally found so many benefits from opening myself up to and finding trust in members of my artistic community. I’ve met many supportive and inspiring artists who have sparked ideas in me, helped me explore different goals and strategies, offered suggestions and advice, and allowed me into their studios, courses, email inboxes, group messages, and more.
Trusting yourself as an artist is crucial, but trusting others can be immensely rewarding—and this has been my experience! Whether it’s on Instagram or in an online course I’m either teaching or taking, other artists at all stages of their journeys have touched my heart and inspired my work.
If you’re reading this, you’re a part of that community—and I am so happy to have you here. I’m trusting you with the words on this screen; you already have my trust! I hope that being a part of my artistic community inspires your belief in yourself, your creative process, and in others.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Do you have enough trust in me to share your thoughts on trust when it comes to your art? I hope so!
