Questions are the lifeblood of creativity. They dig into the marrow of our existence, challenging us to explore, to understand, to create. These questions push us forward. They are like an unrelenting tide, urging us to uncover what lies beneath the surface. In the world of art, the right questions make the difference. Are you stagnating or growing? Is that blank canvass becoming a masterpiece?

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

The Questions

As a creative, what are the three most important questions you need to ask yourself?

How do you spend your time?

What are you working on right now?

What tools are you utilizing?

These questions are your compass, guiding you through the intricate journey of creativity.

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun was born Lucy Schwob in 1894 in Nantes, France. From an early age, societal expectations loomed large. Raised in a prominent intellectual Jewish family, exposure to literature and art was constant. These influences shaped a creative path.

The artistic journey began in teenage years with writing, contributing essays and critiques to various publications. Photography soon became the primary medium. In collaboration with lifelong partner Marcel Moore, a body of work was created that defied conventional norms. The photographs blurred the lines of identity and gender, challenging societal expectations.

Cahun’s work was groundbreaking. At a time when gender roles were rigid, art was used to dismantle these barriers. Self-portraits featured various guises, utilizing costumes, makeup, and props to create androgynous and surreal personas. This approach was radical in the early 20th century, positioning Cahun as a pioneer in exploring non-binary identity.

Cahun’s life extended beyond art into activism. In the 1930s, joining the Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires led to engaging in anti-fascist activities. During World War II, a move to Jersey brought involvement in the resistance against the Nazis. Anti-German propaganda was produced and distributed, risking everything to undermine the enemy.

Cahun’s strength lay in fearless exploration of self and society. Work was bold, challenging norms and conventions. This bravery, paired with intellectual curiosity, drove the creation of art that was both personal and universal.

Cahun’s Application Of The Three Questions

How do you spend your time? Prioritized engaging in artistic and political activities, including resistance efforts during World War II.

What are you working on right now? Was known for surrealist self-portraits, challenged gender norms and explored identity through photography and writing.

What tools are you utilizing? Used photography, collage, and written word as primary tools, often incorporating symbolic and provocative elements in creativity.

Spending Your Time

Your time is yours to spend; how you choose to do that is your decision alone. “But wait”, you might say, “I don’t have any decision about how I spend my time. How about my job? My family? I don’t have a choice.”

Well, yes, you do. You pay bills, supply yourself with housing, eat, and spend on car insurance, ad nauseam. You don’t have to have those things. I live in Seattle, Washington, and I see plenty of people daily who choose not to participate in what I would call everyday life. They spend their time doing whatever they do. It doesn’t appear they are that interested in ‘normal.’

Sure, we can discuss homelessness; it’s a never ending conversation in this city. Is the exchange of ideas going to change people’s life decisions?

The fact is that’s a direction that some have chosen. There will always be extenuating scenarios that are out of our control. How will we spend time dealing with those circumstances?

The Job

Most workers are warm bodies; cogs in the machine. Workers are not usually offered the big picture, and often not told the company’s primary goals. Ownership knows its purpose and goals, often not providing strong leadership to the worker.

Employees know they are there to maintain and increase profitability.
The job becomes the purpose for the employee, and they sacrifice their vision and impact on the world.

Jobs consume precious time. Time that could be spent creating, exploring, living. Hours slip away in meetings, reports, and tasks that feel endless. The clock dictates your day, leaving little room for your passions.

Management often demands respect without earning it. You have to nod along, agree, even when you don’t believe in their vision. This dance drains you, saps your energy, leaving you questioning your own worth.

Year after year, the job takes more than your time. It takes pieces of you. You start to lose your personal identity. Your name fades, replaced by a title, a role. Life becomes the company; Your dreams, your vision, buried under the daily grind.

But there is a way out. By asking yourself the right questions, you can reclaim your identity. Focus on what you are working on right now. Make time for your passions. Use the tools that spark your creativity. In doing so, you can start to carve out a space that’s yours, a space where your vision can flourish.

Family And Relationships

Family is everything. It demands your time, your energy, your love. You give, and you need to be given back. Love isn’t optional; it’s necessary. We need to maintain love. We need to be loved back.

You also need art. There is a hole in your soul. The people in your life are important, but you need pay attention to the singular void.

Children, your spouse, and sick parents come first. They are your number-one priority. There’s no negotiation there. Your time belongs to them, and rightly so. Their needs are immediate, their demands unyielding. You hold their hands through sickness and health, through every challenge life throws at them.

Yet, the need to create remains. It gnaws at you. There’s a hole only art can fill. Despite the constraints, you find moments to create. Early mornings before the house wakes. Late nights when all is quiet. Snatched minutes between errands and responsibilities.

Balancing love and creativity is a tightrope walk. You give your best to your family, and you carve out time for your art. Both are essential. Both make you whole. You weave them together, finding harmony in the chaos.

And Other Things

Social events, gatherings, and obligations consume precious hours. Friends invite you out, family celebrations call you away. You attend parties, dinners, and social engagements, each taking a bite out of your creative time. It’s important to maintain these relationships, but they often leave little room for art.

Daily chores demand attention. Cleaning, cooking, and maintenance tasks pile up. The lawn needs mowing, the dishes need washing, the bills need paying. Each task is necessary, but together they become a significant drain on time and energy.

Hours spent in traffic or on public transport are hours lost. Commuting to work or other commitments eats away at your day. The journey is often monotonous, a stretch of time where creativity takes a backseat.

More Intrusions

Screens lure you in. Television, social media, and the internet are seductive distractions. Minutes turn into hours as you scroll through feeds, watch videos, and lose yourself in the digital world. These activities are mindless yet consuming, stealing time from your art.

Errands and appointments fill your calendar. Grocery shopping, doctor visits, and trips to the post office add up. These are necessary but disruptive, breaking the flow of your creative process.

Fatigue is a relentless foe. After a long day, exhaustion sets in. Your body demands rest, your mind needs a break. Downtime is essential for recovery, but it often means less time for creative work.

I don’t have answers for you. Everybody has a different life. Each person is unique in their circumstance. If you are dedicated to your art, you will find a way. Look around. Creatives busier than you are figuring it out. You can too.

Emily Kame Kngwarreye

Emily Kame Kngwarreye was born in 1910 in Utopia, Australia, deep in the Outback. Emily is one of my heroes; here’s why:

She grew up learning the ways of the Anmatyerre people, living a life rich in tradition and stories. Her early years were spent immersed in the culture and spirituality of her ancestors, far removed from the modern world.

Emily’s journey into art began in her late seventies. Before that, she painted with ochre on her body for ceremonies, a practice rooted in the Dreamtime. When she transitioned to acrylics and canvas, her unique vision emerged. Her paintings were bold and abstract, filled with the colors and patterns of the desert, deeply connected to her cultural heritage.

Recognition came swiftly. Emily’s work, a departure from traditional Aboriginal art, captivated the art world. Her pieces spoke of the land, the seasons, and the stories of her people. She became one of Australia’s most celebrated artists, yet remained grounded, continuing to live and paint in Utopia, producing over 3,000 paintings in eight years.

Emily’s strength was her deep connection to her culture and land. Her art was a visual language, a testament to the enduring spirit of her people. She painted with an unwavering hand, driven by an inner vision. Her legacy is a reminder that true art transcends time and place, capturing the essence of life itself. Emily painted not just what she saw, but what she felt, leaving an indelible mark on the canvas of history.

Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s Application Of the Three Questions

How do you spend your time? She spent her time immersed in her community’s cultural practices and rituals, which significantly influenced her art.

What are you working on right now? An Aboriginal Australian artist, Kngwarreye’s work focused on her deep connection to her land and culture, expressed through large-scale abstract paintings.

What tools are you utilizing? Kngwarreye used acrylic paint on canvas, employing bold colors and intricate patterns to represent her spiritual and physical landscape.

What Are You Working On Right Now?

What are you working on right now? This question anchors you in the present. It cuts through the noise, focusing your mind on the task at hand. As an artist, this question is your compass, guiding your creative journey.

Think about your current projects. What are they? Are you painting a new series, writing a novel, composing a song, or sculpting a piece? Each project carries its own weight, its own demands. It asks for your time, your attention, your passion.

What are your goals for these projects? Goals give direction. They provide a roadmap. Are you aiming to finish a chapter by the end of the week? Do you plan to complete a painting in a month? Goals keep you moving forward. They turn dreams into reality.

Deadlines are everything. They keep you focused. Stay faithful to your task. Get it out on time. Good or bad.

How do you feel about your progress? Are you satisfied with where you are, or do you feel stuck? Progress can be slow, and that’s okay. Reflect on what you’ve achieved so far. Celebrate small victories. They build momentum. If you’re struggling, identify the obstacles. What’s holding you back? Is it time, resources, or something else?

Change It Up?

In what ways can you be more flexible? Creativity requires adaptability. Plans change, inspiration ebbs and flows. Maybe you need to adjust your goals. Maybe your project needs a new direction. Flexibility allows growth. It opens doors to new possibilities.

The List

I’m not one for systematic approaches. With that said, here’s my system:

To-do lists are my downfall. A person is supposed to stick with their list and not deviate from it till tasks have been accomplished.

The thing about to-do lists is that they constantly grow. Because the to-do list gets bigger, it feels like less and less gets done. The situation piles up, and an insurmountable amount of work is never finished. Not so good for my self-esteem.

If this is something that irritates you as well, there might be a solution for you. Consider a got-done list.

What have you got done?

It doesn’t have to be much, maybe a few things each day. The difference difference between a to-do list and a got-done list? There will always be more to do, regardless. There’s only so much a person can accomplish any given day. All you can do is all you can do.

The got-done list is perfect for those monster projects. I have several of those. each day I check off one more task. The moon shot I’m keeping close to my chest: rest assured, something is accomplished daily.

When a task is finished, it’s finished. It might only be done temporarily, but at least part of it is complete. When a job is complete, you can add that to your strengths and attribute list. Do you know what those are?

Strengths And Attributes

Understanding your strengths and attributes is essential for any artist. These qualities define your unique voice, shape your creative process, and set you apart from others. So, how do you identify your strengths and attributes?

Start with self-reflection. Take a moment to think about your work. In what aspects of your art do you excel? Is it your use of color, your ability to tell a story, your technical skills, or your innovative ideas? Reflect on the feedback you’ve received from others. What compliments and critiques have stood out to you?

Ask yourself pointed questions. What comes naturally to you? Are there parts of your creative process do you find effortless and enjoyable? What challenges do you consistently overcome with ease? These are indicators of your strengths.

Talk to peers, mentors, and your audience. Sometimes, others can see strengths that you might overlook. Ask them what they think your strong points are. Listen to their observations and consider how they align with your self-reflection.

Look at your past projects and achievements. What elements contributed to their success? Was it your attention to detail, your perseverance, your creativity under pressure, or your collaboration skills? Identifying patterns in your successes can highlight your key attributes.

Your strengths are often reflected in your unique style. Embrace what makes your work distinct. Whether it’s your bold use of colors, your lyrical prose, or your intricate designs, these are the attributes that define your artistic identity.

Consider how your strengths manifest in different contexts. How do your skills adapt when working on various projects? What attributes shine through when you face challenges? Recognizing the versatility of your strengths can enhance your confidence and adaptability.

Henry Darger

Henry Darger was born in 1892 in Chicago. He led a life marked by hardship and obscurity. Orphaned at a young age, he spent his childhood in institutions, a silent observer of the world’s harsh realities. Darger worked menial jobs, living alone in a small, cluttered apartment. No one knew the extent of his inner world.

Darger’s magnum opus, “In the Realms of the Unreal,” was discovered after his death. A manuscript over 15,000 pages long, it told the epic tale of the Vivian Girls, set against the backdrop of a brutal child slave rebellion. Illustrated with vivid, often disturbing, watercolors and collages, it was a world of fantasy and horror, meticulously detailed and profoundly imaginative.

His art was raw and unfiltered, reflecting his own battles with isolation and adversity. Darger used simple tools – pencils, watercolors, and tracing paper – transforming them into a complex, immersive universe. His work was a means of survival, a way to process his experiences and escape into a place of his own making. He labored in secret, creating an alternate reality where good fought against overwhelming evil.

Henry Darger died in 1973, unknown and uncelebrated. It was only posthumously that his genius was recognized, his works becoming a subject of fascination and admiration. Today, Darger is hailed as a visionary outsider artist, his creations a testament to the power of the human spirit to find solace in creativity amidst a life of adversity.

Henry Darger‘s Application Of The Three Questions

How do you spend your time? He led a solitary life, spending his days working as a janitor and his nights dedicated to his art and writing.

What are you working on right now? Darger, a reclusive artist, worked on an immense illustrated manuscript titled “In the Realms of the Unreal,” which spanned over 15,000 pages.

What tools are you utilizing? Henry Darger utilized simple, accessible materials such as pencil, watercolor, and collage to create his intricate, imaginative worlds.

What Tools Are You Utilizing?

Tools are the extensions of your creativity. They are the instruments that bring your vision to life. Think about the mediums, the technologies, the materials that you rely on to create your art. Each tool has its own impact, its own influence on your work.

Here’s a thought: Start by listing the tools you use regularly. Are you a painter who relies on a specific set of brushes and paints? Perhaps you a writer who depends on a trusty notebook and pen, or perhaps a particular software? Are you a musician with a favorite instrument or digital audio workstation? Identify the tools that are central to your creative process.

Ask yourself, how effective are these tools? Do they enhance your creativity, or do they sometimes hinder it? Are there tools that you find indispensable, ones that elevate your work to a higher level? Conversely, are there tools that frustrate you, that don’t perform as well as you need them to? Do these tools enhance your quality of output?

AI? Are you using AI? If you aren’t, why not? Get right or get left. Do you want to be left behind?

References Can Answer Your Questions

Tools are the lifeblood of the creative process.

Educational and inspirational tools are just as important as the physical ones. Books, courses, and online tutorials can provide valuable knowledge and insights. They expand your understanding, introduce you to new techniques, and inspire fresh ideas.

Consider the value of formal and informal education. Books on technique, history, and theory can deepen your understanding of your craft. Online courses and workshops offer structured learning and practical skills. Subscribing to industry magazines and journals keeps you updated on trends and innovations.

Inspiration fuels creativity. Look to other artists, past and present, for motivation. Visit galleries, watch documentaries, listen to podcasts. Inspiration can also come from unrelated fields – science, nature, literature – broadening your perspective and sparking creativity.

And In The End

The journey of creativity is not easy. It is filled with challenges and moments of discovery.

These questions are your compass. They guide you through the complexities of life and art. Reflect on them often. Adjust your course as needed. Let these questions drive you towards your artistic goals. In doing so, you will find a focused, productive, and fulfilling creative life.

Can We Help You?

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. Your interest and engagement mean the world to me. I hope these insights and reflections on creativity have resonated with you and offered some valuable guidance on your own creative journey.

I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts. How do you spend your time? What are you working on right now? What tools are you utilizing? Your experiences and insights are important and can inspire others in our creative community.

If you found this post helpful or inspiring, please share it with your friends, family, and fellow artists. Spreading the word helps us grow this community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about creativity and artistic expression.

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