The value of practicing Art, the right way.

Many people have heard the phrase that you can’t learn or grow if you don’t take the time to practice. All of us hear the words ‘practice’ but some many are still baffled as to why with all the practice, they still can’t get to the next level. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as practicing the ‘right’ way and this is where your tasks can take on a whole new meaning.

Now, I have been fortunate enough to come from a line of work that requires much experimentation, research and of course practice. I can hopefully provide a decent answer to some of these deep seated questions.

You may think, that practicing alone will get you better in any subject, pastime or hobby that you undertake. Why should it? Let’s say you want to improve in the art of drawing with a pencil. And you go through the habit of holding the pencil, doing the strokes again and again until you get better, right? Unfortunately, no. You will get better at drawing straight lines and you will most likely be fast as well. Does that make you a better drawer than others. How come others are able to produce artwork that you can only dream about, even though they have put in the same effort.

This is where the beauty of the individual and creativity comes into the picture. If you depend on rote learning without trying to understand why you are doing what you are doing, you will remain in the same rut. So what does it mean to be creative and individualistic?

Being creative means, you free your mind from the mundane task of doing it and looking at it differently from just a mundane set of tasks. You first need to clear any thought out of your head that you have a certain rigid expectation of the results of the task. Doing so, will open your mind to other possibilities as you undertake the tasks. As a simple example, let’s say you want to be able to draw straight lines with a pencil. You take the task on board and repeat until you get better at steadying your hand to draw straight lines. Step outside this zone of thinking and think as you go along. For example, what happens when I press hard, is my hand steadier, if I use my shoulders, or move in a different direction. You are now tapping into a whole world of possibilities, that will empower you to not only draw straight lines but understand the small nuances of the tasks. This approach will lead you to become more proficient in art and you will see bigger improvements.

Don’t look at any task with a small window, look at it with a broader view of the possibilities ahead and your mind will open up and come up with it’s own train of thoughts. This only fires you along and needless to say, it can empower you in such a way that the tasks you undertake will almost seem effortless.

This is why many books focus on fears, insecurities, lack of confidence that can hold many of us back from achieving our true potential.

I honestly believe that art can empower you more than just reading books alone. Try it and let me know what you think!

Happy Drawing & Painting!

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