Compassion, Curiosity, Courage

Above is the introduction for my new beginners class, Wild Beginnings.

I will be honest, I don’t have a great time filming my face 😬- happy to have my arms dance around on screen making art, but it takes courage for me to share a video with, well, me in it.

But it is (safe) little acts of courage that stretch us in the good ways. And since I know I am safe with you, speaking to camera lets you see all of me, my sincerity behind these words, and my genuine desire to inspire and empower as many people as possible to get sketching, and to honour our wild kin.

Which reminded me of a recipe for creativity that I shared over on The Wild Forgotten. And given that I keep repeating the words compassion, curiosity and courage all throughout The Wild Beginnings, I thought it would be good to share it here too.

Art making is actually less about pigment and paper, and more about, well, you, the human being behind the mark making. And we are a complex critter. Fears and frustrations and other challenges come up just as often as the joys, and we have to find a way to mitigate the impact of the challenges in order to keep going. Because that is the biggest job of an artist - one that is creative for a living, or creates for fun and for self - keeping going.

I have begun to think of these joys and challenges as a recipe of sorts for how to be creative. A recipe for creativity, as it were. Like in Alice in Wonderland (one of my faaaavourite books) a little too much of an ingredient can leave us stretched or diminished in ways that may not always involve an ensuing delightful adventure. I could say moderation is key, but it is more than that and less than that too, because it is less about quantity and more about curiosity (you thought I was going to say quality didn’t you. Babe, you are already of the highest quality, let’s take as given that all your input in no way lacks that aspect).

It is also about gently kneading your connection between your heart, mind, and the wild world.

So, my (totally fail-proof) recipe for creativity.

Curiosity. Heaping cups of it. And have some bulk bags in the pantry. You do not want to run out of this stuff, it is the foundation, or at least one of the foundations. It provides wonder and joy with its inclusion, but adding more will also help you side step out of the challenges that come with this whole being creative thing. When fear comes up, sprinkle some curiosity on there, see where and why it is coming from, and then knead it gently into your wild hearted recipe and find the courage to keep going anyway. Curiosity opens up your heart and mind and allows you to build your observational skills, gain greater knowledge of the tools you use, and experiment with technique and style. But curiosity is more than about the actual act of creating. We also need to be curious about the thoughts and feelings that come up as we work. What is holding us back, what is sparking fear, what is sparking joy. By asking how? and what if? in both the actual art-making work that we do, and in our mindset and thoughts behind the work, we can learn more about both our subject, and ourselves, building gentle, resilient, sustainable progress in all aspects of creating.

Compassion. Another staple in our recipe, but you want to sprinkle it on yourself just as much as you want to sprinkle it in your creativity recipe. Actually, not sprinkle, get the scoop out. Slather yourself in it. It is easier to have compassion for your subject than it is to have compassion for yourself, but oof, it is so important. When you are making art, there is no room for internal unkindness. Creativity is an act of loving kindness, and you need to have that for yourself too. You are doing important work, you are making the world more beautiful with your intentional act of creativity, and you need to celebrate yourself for that. Making art, and in my own experience of making wildlife and nature focused art, allows us to deepen the compassion for ourselves and the creative energy we are working with by focusing on embodying the compassion we have for our subjects and empowering our creative resilience. It doesn’t always come naturally. We are often our own harshest critics. We have to practise extending compassion to our artist's heart. We also have to normalise making things of beauty just for ourselves, without needing external validation.

Courage. Already mentioned under curiosity, but it is the flavour in your recipe. It is spicy and it is sweet, and it is savoury and everything in between, perfectly in harmony with the flavour of you, and even better the more that you use it. Courage to keep showing up, to practise, to develop process, to HAVE FUN, to find joy, to not take yourself or your art too seriously, to move through the biggest challenges. Courage to embrace the creative being that your wild heart and the wild world needs you to be.  Making art is not something everyone does, and despite the fact it is literally everywhere, people who create are essentially rebelling against the entrenched systems. You wild-hearted rebel! Courage to try again when what you tried didn’t turn out the way you expected. To find patience with yourself and recognise time and practice is key. Courage to remain open-hearted and learn and grow. To value the time spent on the process more than the outcome. The wild courage it takes to be a voice for the wild world (and revel in the joy that comes from that).

Early bird pricing until Sunday 18th February 2024

Connection. Connection is interwoven with curiosity, compassion, and courage. It is that connective element, right, the stretchy bonds that hold everything together when we knead our creativity dough. It brings all the elements of our recipe together, holding it in a way that creates fulfilment and love and inspiration and delicious goodness. It is through connection that we create our deepest, most personally satisfying work. Connecting the wild all around us, to the wild in your own heart, to the wild being or wild landscapes you are honouring, and connecting to a community of like minded souls that will support and encourage you through it all. If we work with a sense of awe at the interconnectedness of our own beingness with that of the beings we are honouring, and with the way we are woven together into the tapestry of all existence, we will forever be humbled, grateful, and an advocate for the compassionate treatment of us all.

Consciousness. Consciousness is the awareness of the world around you, and the world within you. It is the glaze on the outside of our recipes, it is the flavour bomb right in the middle, it is all the unseen elements that when considered are recognised as inherently important to being a whole and conscious being. It is being cognizant of the value that this beautiful wild world provides as inspiration and sustenance and as a full body and mind embrace. It is understanding that your creating is an act of reciprocity for that - for the beauty you have absorbed, have witnessed, you want to exchange beauty in return. Consciousness is a state of awareness on many different levels, an understanding that you have a means to follow your creative heart, to embolden connection, and have a desire to do that. You value creativity and honouring the wild as an act of reciprocity for the inherent beauty of nature, and our physiological connection to it (even when we feel disconnected). You can consciously choose to live a creative life that is gentle and honest and full of curiosity. You can be conscious of your creativity as a self care habit. Through your art making you are interacting with your awareness, and interacting with the world you want to honour. Being intentional and deliberate in your art making leads to consciousness, a raised awareness, and a deepening connection and celebration for the wild world, and your own wild heart. Prepare to discover more about yourself than you could have imagined.

There are certainly other elements that need including, but these five, oh,
they are the bees knees.

When we embrace these elements in ourselves, when we act with loving kindness and curiosity and have courage, foster connection, and be aware of what we are creating and where that comes from, we begin to build a recipe that nourishes us in untold ways.

It is the mythical perpetual motion machine on an internal level.

And it is all you.

Because you are all kind of wonderful.