Creating Consistency in Your Art – Nicholas Wilton – Ep 83

Showing up in your art practice regularly has all kinds of benefits. But the first step is understanding that it’s difficult to do. There is tremendous resistance to making art with any consistency. I’ve always struggled with consistency, but this week I want to share some tips and strategies that have been absolute game-changers for my art practice. Join me as I dive into the topic of consistency, why we need it, and how we can make showing up easier to gain improvement in our art.

Listen if you are interested in…

• Understanding how consistency impacts our art practice [2:39]
• Four tips for creating consistency in your art [6:48]
• Using your come from to produce consistency [11:17]
• Why consistency needs process [25:12]

Regain creative energy

A general rule for art and life is the more we do something, the better we get at it. This is why consistency is such a valuable tool in the artist’s toolbox. Aside from improving our skills, consistency also increases our motivation because we can see our progress. It’s hard not to get fired up when someone notices the forward momentum of our art. Developing consistency in your art practice will increase creativity across the board because it’s not being zapped by an exhausting dance with procrastination. Make art a habit in your life! By deciding to show up consistently, you’ll have far more energy to do the things in your practice you actually love.

Create YOUR place

Where do you go to make art? That’s not so much a physical question, as a metaphysical one. While most of us have some sort of studio space, not all of our studios are places we want to show up to consistently. If that’s the case, we have to reframe the place we go mentally when we make art in our studios. Your studio should be a place of total freedom. A place where restraints are gone, and you feel totally free to be yourself. Your studio is also the place where you practice discernment. This is where we get good at choosing exactly what we want our art to be without outside influence. If we make our studio the place that reinforces who we are and who we are becoming, the art will take care of itself.

A little goes a LONG way

One of the reasons so many people struggle with consistency in their art practice is that their process is not optimized for it. You will lose bandwidth and perspective quickly if your idea of process is doing as much as you can, for as long as you can, until you no longer feel inspired. I’m not saying artists can’t work like that, just that I don’t know a lot of artists who can. You’re not going to improve because of how long you do the thing, but how many times you do it. Growing as an artist is about frequency, not duration. It’s scientifically proven that people improve quicker, faster, and more efficiently by repeatedly doing something in shorter bursts. I get it: As artists, we are in a constant battle with distractions. But sometimes a distraction is just the break we need to clear our heads and get back at it. 20 minutes in your studio is infinitely better than no time at all. Just get in your studio and start doing. Because it’s doing the art that makes it all possible.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Pelican Inn
• The War of Art (Book)

Connect with Nicholas Wilton and Art2Life

Get the Free COLOR TIPS PDF here

• Follow the  Sunday Art2Life Vlog here
• Follow Nicholas Wilton’s Art on Instagram
• Follow Art2Life on Instagram
• Subscribe on Youtube

 

Subscribe to Art2Life on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts