With the busyness of today’s world, it can be hard to hear the voice inside you. I know I go to my phone constantly for answers and ideas.
This does not have to be a good or bad thing. It is just a way of finding answers or information.
I would like to trust myself a little more and be better able to move forward without needing to check the weather or the surf cam first.
To help me quiet the outside world and be able to hear my intuition, I go into the woods. But even there I have my phone to measure my pace or photograph a shadow.
Writing helps release some of the chatter. I often do stream of consciousness writing, as described in The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.
Willingness to not know the answer yet and be in a state of uncertainty is helpful. It takes time and practice to hear and listen to your intuition. Little by little you will get better at knowing what is right for you.
What does this have to do with printmaking?
Well, I think much of art making is learning to play with tools by learning to listen to your intuition. Of course there are physical skills and maybe even design principles that are necessary. But the magic happens when you trust yourself to try it and see what happens.
As a teacher, I am always trying to foster both the physical skills and the trust in one’s self. I think of learning as a cycle of hard skills and experimentation. And only the student knows if she is ready for hard skills or it’s time to play.
If this approach to learning sounds interesting to you, then check out the Gelatin Print Project. It is a 3 part online printmaking class that starts soon.