Are you curious about trying a new medium? Is there a little voice inside urging you to break out of your usual creative routine and do a different thing? Well guess what? It's ok to pivot!
Don't let the fact that you've invested time, energy and money into one medium, your lack of storage space for more materials or your identity as a particular type of creative prevent your expansion in new creative directions. It's all doable and it's part of your creative journey, so embrace the pivot.
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Transcript:
Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life.
So let's get creative.
Well, hi there. Welcome everybody back to another episode of the joyful creative. Before I get into this episode about pivoting, I would like to mention that my studio sale, which is currently live for my subscribers will be open to everybody else on Sunday this Sunday, the 1st of December. I will add the link to the show notes.
It's basically just go to my website and have a look at what's there. I have put lots of images and reels on my social media in the last couple of weeks. So if you're interested in what is available just have a look back at some of those posts. And you'll be able to have a good look at what they are. They're a little pieces of mixed media on paper. Some of them are water colour, some of them are black ink and all of them have been embellished with the coloured pen, black pen, some glitter pens, metallic pens. Some of them have some hand stitching on them as well. And they're all just process pieces that have been part of my exploration of this new media. And I've really had a good time doing them and I look back and I still really love them.
I would love to keep them all but I am moving house again, and it would be lovely to just clear them out so that, you know, they're not just stashed in a drawer in a box somewhere when I get to the other end, I would love them to fly off to new homes. So yes, that will be open this Sunday and I will only have it open for a week or so because while I'm in transit, which will possibly be a couple of weeks, there's no way I'll be able to fulfill any orders after about mid December. So, if you are interested in grabbing a little piece for yourself or for a Christmas present, remember, it's so lovely to give handmade presence gifts for your family for Christmas and loved ones. And look, they're just little pieces on paper at the moment, so they can be mounted in a frame under glass, which really does elevate them and makes them look really special. Or if you just want to casually pop some bulldog clips he can hang it directly from a bulldog clip, or you could put two bulldog clips on each side of the page and add some ribbon or string and hang it up on a little hook. So they're just nice little things to have around, little bit of original art.
If you haven't already started a collection of original art this is a really great affordable way to do that. So go and have a look at what's available.
Okay. So let's get into this episode about pivoting. And this is really been inspired… Is inspired the word? I thought about talking about this because as I am packing things up, in my studio, everything's sort of everywhere at the moment and I need to really get things in order before the packers come in and put it all in boxes. What I've realized is that in the last two years, since I've lived here, is that I have really explored quite a lot of different media from what I used to do. So as well as all the fabrics and the beads and sequins and threads and sewing machines and things that I've always had as a textile artist. I still got those. I don't think I'm getting rid of any of that anytime soon, because I dunno, there's just something lovely about having beads and sequins around me. I just love that environment. So they're staying for the moment.
But since then I did a lot of work on an iPad on procreate. So that was good in a way, because it didn't actually create any more stuff. All I've got is the iPad. And I could do lots of works and, you know, they're just files on the iPad that don't actually create any physical stuff. So that was good, but you know, I think most of you, creative people will understand that sometimes working with a physical material in your hands is really the ultimate thing. So I did go back to that.
And then I got into some watercolour and ink on paper and I've been using different types of papers, watercolour paper, mixed media papers. So I've got a lot of that hanging around. At different sizes and I've cut bits up and I just don't know what I'm going to do with it all, but looking at all of this stuff, it really does make it clear to me that I have done a lot of pivoting. And by pivoting I mean that I was doing one thing and now I'm changing it up to something else. And part of me feels like… “Can I really take myself seriously as an artist, if I just keep changing things up?” And I think maybe in the past, I might've been a little bit judgmental of anyone who was just doing a bit of this and a bit of that as if it's not valid or not real. But I've been in a bit of a, a life transition, actually. I've transitioned from full-time work to part-time, I'm starting a new business. There's a lot going on that's changing for me. And as an artist or as a creative, I’ve really just allowed myself to just explore and play. And really, if I think about it, that's what this whole podcast is about, is about. Giving yourself permission to play. And to explore different things and just to listen to the calling. You know, there was a little calling in me that really wanted to just sort of see what happens when you drip ink on a page and see it swirl around and then see how you can embellish that.
So I've just really gone where my heart has called me. And I think I've really benefited from that practice as a creative. So I just really wanted to talk about pivoting because maybe some of you out there are stuck on one particular thing that you do. It might be scrapbooking. Or knitting, quilting or painting or writing, whatever it is.
But maybe there's a little tiny voice in you that is saying “What if I got some different, medium and explored that?” And my advice is just to go for it.
I realize firsthand. I realize that when you go from one medium to another, then you do mount up a lot of stuff. And maybe just physical space is an issue. Maybe you don't have a craft room or a garage or anywhere really to store things. So the more projects you have on the go, just the more space it takes up and physical space is an issue for some of us, depending on where you live and what sort of storage you have on hand or how many people are living in your house and how much of a luxury you have of a dedicated space. I'm pretty lucky because we're living in quite a big house at the moment and there's only the two of us. But gosh, we do tend to spread out and there is there's stuff in every room. So I've been very lucky. And while I do have the space, I do tend to keep accumulating. But we are sort of considering maybe we might want to downsize to something smaller. And with all those thoughts in mind, I do think, ah, do I really still need this sewing machine? Do I really still need this mannequin, like big things that do take up space. And even materials, actually fabrics and some of the beads and things and threads that aren't as special as other pieces. I do think maybe I should just get rid of them. But as I said before, I'm sorta just not quite ready. In my gut, I feel a little bit attached to them. So I'm just honouring that at the moment.
So, yes, space is an issue if you go from one thing to another. And my advice there is a if you have some decent storage like a cabinet or chest of drawers or some boxes or shelving or anything like that that's handy for you, maybe the solution is to once it's filled up and there's no more space, then you've got to get rid of something if you want to get anything else. It's a good rule for your wardrobe as well. If you have no space to buy anything else, then get rid of something. So it could be the same with your craft and art supplies. Failing that, get rid of things that you just know that you're never going to go back to. And I think that sometimes takes a bit of honesty. And really a bit of soul searching. Sort of think “I really did this thing for so long am I really going to do it anymore again? Or am I going to go back to it?” And like with my gut feeling about my fabrics and sequins and things, I’m not quite ready, and that feeling kind of tells me that maybe there's another project in the future. So I'm honouring my intuition where it comes to that. But, you know, I have looked at other things and for some reason I'm just really to release them. So my gut feels good about that.
So that's maybe a nice process to go through. Really sit with things and have a bit of a soul search about what craft art materials you're really attached to and what you're ready to let go of. And there is a thing called the sunk cost fallacy. And you might know about it. Basically it's where you've spent a lot of time, energy or money on something and that something could be a profession or a relationship or a project or a medium of art craft that you've been working on. And you might've been spending all that energy that time, that money on that thing and then when you get that little voice in the head that says, “maybe I want to do something different because maybe this isn’t serving me now.” There is that other part of your brain that says, “no, I have to persist with this because of the money, time, energy that I've spent on it.” But if you continue to spend that time, energy money on something that isn't serving you and you're really have a calling to do something else, then…That’s why it's a fallacy, because it's not serving you. And the more time energy money you spend on it is actually wasted. And this is whether you are considering the volume of stuff, materials and whether you've got storage or whether it's not that, I mean, some of you are probably doing writing or music. And other things that don't actually require a lot of storage space. It's still that idea of, “well, I spent so much time learning guitar but now I think I want to learn the flute.’ Or something. If that's the case, that's fine. That's fine.
I think that a lot of creative things are actually complimentary. And if you do have skills in one area, for example, if you've learned guitar and now you want to learn a different instrument. Then there will be a lot of basic skills musicianship and just the idea of a dedicated practice and how it feels to move through being a beginner onto intermediate and onto advanced stages. There's a lot of learnt skills that you already have that's going to feed into this new project that you have And that goes for anything as well. Anything artistic, anything creative. The time and energy that you've spent doing something creative for however long it's been informs the next creative project that you do. And I think it's exciting to try something new.
And even if you try it for a couple of months and you go, “ah, I'm not into this anymore.” Then all well and good. That's your creative process. So I encourage you to listen to the callings, listen to the little voice that is curious about something else. And don't allow the fact that you’ve worked at something for a long time and maybe you even have an identity with it. Maybe your identity is “I'm a quilter.” So now if you're going to become a painter is that the same identity? That's an interesting thing to consider as well. But identity is really about how you perceive yourself and how you think other people perceive you. So it doesn't mean you're no longer a quilter. It just means that for now you’re just exploring something else Creative.
And like I said, the medium that you've worked in all those years can very much inform the work that you do in another medium.
I'm actually amazed to see that the aesthetics of the work that I do with water colour or ink on paper has a lot of similarities to the work that I did in textiles. It's all very organic with this graduation in colour. I love to add sparkles, sparkles are just my thing. And I think I will always use sparkles no matter what, whether it's in textiles with beads and sequins or whether it's on paper with glitter pens or, glittery paint. It's just a thing that I love and I think I will always use that. So yeah, it is really interesting to see how one thing has informed the other. And it's not like I've just started completely from scratch as a creative. I'm just starting from scratch in this particular medium.
So remembering that we've developed skills and artistic ideas and a personal aesthetic that is our work. And even if you do pivot to another medium or art form there's still part of you in there. There's still probably a bit of a part of the other medium in the new thing. So. Yes. Any of you who are out there maybe thinking about the new year and whether you might be interested in taking a class or doing something new just to change up what you're doing could possibly be the thing that brings a fresh energy to your creative practice.
There are lots of things starting in the new year. And now's probably a good time to start thinking about it and booking in so that you can get in and start your new year creatively and with purpose. So, yes, if you have any inkling to pivot and you're resisting because of whatever reason, lack of space, sunk cost fallacy identity, all of that. Then maybe just sit with it and realize that it's all part of the creative process and it's okay. So I'm giving you permission now to pivot and see where it takes you because that's a creative life. And it just sounds like fun to me. It sounds very expansive. So I can't wait to see what we're all doing next year.
I've only got a couple more episodes I can do at the moment for this podcast, because like I said before, I will be in transit. I could always just record into my laptop like I did a couple of episodes ago. I'll see how I go. But my beautiful microphone is going to be packed away so I'll see how I go, but yeah, a couple more episodes before Christmas, and I just hope that you're all able to continue your creative practice during this busy time.
Like I said, last episode, it's so important to do what you need to do to keep your equilibrium maintained, on track. Keep your nervous system calm while there is anxiety and stress and busy-ness. Just 10 minutes a day, just sitting down doing something really gentle and mindful like knitting or painting a few strokes or doodling. Or playing your guitar, whatever it is that brings you into that beautiful creative flow is so good for you.
It's so good for your mental health and your wellbeing. And I will just keep shouting from the rooftops about this. So I know it feels like this is the time when you have no time to do anything like that, but this is the time when it's most important. So my friends on that note, Think about pivoting, think about something new in the new year. All right. I'll see you in the next episode.
Bye.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of The Joyful Creative. If you did, be sure to subscribe so you catch them every week. And if you can, please take a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend so the podcast can reach more people who need support and inspiration. Thanks for listening and keep creative.
