Do you believe that if you think outside of the box and actually apply that thinking to your work that the art police will come to arrest you or take away your brushes? As absurd as that seems, refusing to follow your instincts as an artist because of your fear of negative nancy voices still has the same effect on you. You’re so worried about doing everything “by the book” that it causes you to question your decisions and your work, to the point where you stop yourself from doing it.

So in this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, we’ll dismantle the myth that there’s a correct way to create, show, or sell your art and that some invisible authority is waiting to catch you in the act if you stray away from doing it “right.” I’ll also give you some truths, strategies, and tools to help you more easily embrace your creative inner voice and artistic instincts without fearing others’ negative beliefs or thoughts.

1:24 - The irony of being an artist living in a world with other human beings

4:06 - How fear of the art police can manifest, regardless of your education level

8:23 - Extremes that artists go back and forth between and its impact on them and their art

12:27 - The long history of creativity and the cognitive dissonance artists have about mistakes

16:33 - How to check in with your own voice when you hesitate to do artwork you feel called to do

18:42 - Ways to introduce playfulness and experimentation into your art and how your subconscious mind helps

21:14 - How tapping into your own creative voice protects and empowers you

23:04 - Tools to help you clear the mental chatter and reconnect you to your instincts

Mentioned in There Are No Art Police—So Why Are You Following Their Rules?

The Far Side Comic Strip by Gary Larson

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