Art Monsters
Name and Tame Your Monsters
Below is a partial list of monsters that many artists battle in their quest to make art. Most are very similar. They morph and change disguises to continually evade our mastery of them.
Which monsters are yours?
Identify the negative thoughts that plague you and can paralyze you. Have you learned how to tame them?
Source: Patricia Watwood, ‘The Path of Drawing: Lessons for Everyday Creativity and Mindfulness”. Monacelli Press, 2022.
Assorted Notes
Patricia Watwood’s Advice:
- Name and identify the negative thoughts that plague us; acknowledge them
- Befriend the monsters: we can’t simply destroy or suppress the parts of ourselves that we don’t like.
- The key to monster cohabitation is to recognize, externalize, normalize and neutralize
- Recognize: Probe into the fear and ask yourself: What is the worst thing that could happen if this fear came to life? If ____ happened, then I would feel _____.
- Externalize: Avoid negative “I am” statements… Say “I did mess up that drawing” not “I am bad at drawing”. The “I am” statements make powerful statements about our intrinsic nature or ability.
- Normalize: Negative thoughts are normal. We’re not unique or alone in this.
- Neutralize: Downsize the monster and accept it as a traveller on your journey.
*** Where do you do your creative work? Is it private? Free from protruding eyes? If you have quiet and solitude, are you still distracted by unfriendly thoughts and a stressed-out mind?
Quotables:
- It is better to be wrong than to be boring
- When following a path of creativity, trust that along the way you will find others who share your joys and experiences and treasure your uniqueness.
- Fears and negative thoughts arise and also depart. It’s just one voice, one moment, one feeling, in a larger landscape that makes up your emotional experience.
- Failures help us learn on our journey.
- Your monsters are on the road trip to creativity with you. Don’t let them drive. They belong in the backseat.