Schedule it, Simplify it and Most Importantly...Enjoy it! Advice from Lynn Whipple on Painting and Goals
This is part of the end of year advice series. Guests from the show offer suggestions on how to use an hour a day to get better at painting and share some of their own goals (and how they set them) for the year ahead.
Lynn Whipple is a mixed media artist living in Florida. Play and discovery are her dearest and most constant companions. There are a zillion tiny challenges in each art making experience, and so often she finds just as many small, sweet victories. She will be a guest in 2021 on the podcast. Get the episode sent straight to your inbox by adding your name here.
If a student could commit to art an hour a day for this upcoming year, what would you advise them to put in that spot and why? (It could also be more general advice if you’d like.)
First, bravo to you for making the commitment! YES!!!
Schedule your "art hour" and put it in your phone calendar, on repeat, with a reminder.
I like to add lots of emojis to make myself smile every time I am reminded about this wonderful choice I am making!
Set yourself up to make it simple and easy. You want the smoothest way possible to connect to your art practice.
“So much of artful learning is in the doing.” - Lynn Whipple
Gather your favorite supplies and designate where you will be working. I love to have paper, canvases or wood boards ready to go!
Surround yourself with your favorite mark making tools, paint, whatever your medium.
Set your timer, light a candle or incense, put on a favorite playlist or podcast. Sit or stand and GO!!
This is your creative ritual, make it work for you!
Make a mess, be loose and just MOVE YOUR HANDS! It’s fun!! Make any mark and respond. The sooner you get something down, the better.
Think of the first five or ten minutes as your warmup, no judgment, just getting your energy on the page! Then you are in!! You might find that hours go by and you have forgotten to eat! All good!
Your creativity is important, nourishing and healing. This is a gift to yourself and others. You want to support yourself as best you can.
So much of artful learning is in the doing. I wish you great joy in the process, as well as challenges, because any time spent moving your hands will move you forward.
How do you create goals for your art for the new year? (Any you want to share?)
Goals! Always fun to visualize what you want to see in your life isn’t it? I like this process. I create goals all throughout the year, as well as do the big picture thinking that seems to come with a new year's beginning.
I write most days in a sketchbook/journal. The pages are unlined so I can draw and be playful. When I have a show or deadline, I draw the basic shape of the wall space, say my booth, my studio walls, or an art center or gallery space.
Next, I sketch in the sizes and amount of pieces I want to see. Groupings, large pieces, installations. Now I have a basic list of the substrates I need, and I get to work. Once the work is done, I am often surprised how similar it is to my original vision.
”Your creativity is important, nourishing and healing. This is a gift to yourself and others. You want to support yourself as best you can.” -Lynn Whipple
The other way I create goals is to think and write about how I want my days to feel. How I want my days to unfold. What the joy spots are. What the dance of creativity looks and feels like in my mind.
I think about the light, how I physically move through my creative space. The music or books I want to hear. How and where I will spend outside in nature sketching and drawing (which is my favorite.) How I want to create and discuss art with others, which these days can be talking, texting, zoom, or smart studio visits.
I also think and write about the work I want to create. How it can reflect who I am and what is important to me. How I can translate the world and my thoughts into lines, shapes, marks and color. How I can best share and encourage creativity.
I see more large, loose, colorful and juicy abstracts for me in the coming year, with lots of drawing and mark making.
Learn more about Lynn Whipple:
Get new episodes and articles like our End of Year Advice series sent straight to your inbox by joining the newsletter list below.