Discovering Your Artistic Voice

Finding your unique voice as an artist can be a confusing journey.

It can be difficult to tune out the judgements and opinions of others– as well as your own inner critic– and learn to truly trust your authentic voice.

The internet and social media make comparison prevalent. And, perhaps surprisingly, attending art schools– and continuously having your artwork critiques by teachers and peers– can be inhibiting.

When you’re confused about your artistic voice and your work is inconsistent, others feel confused too. They don’t know who you are as an artist, so they don’t know if they connect with your artwork or if they want to see more of it.

There’s a saying that “If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one.” Think about how this is true in both your personal life and your artistic life. If someone doesn’t know who you are, how will they know if you are a good fit for them? People should be able to recognize your work, the way they recognize your personality.

We each have a perspective or lens through which we see the world. This is shaped by our unique stories and experiences. Our artistic voice shows others how we see the world.

Whether or not you can relate, I hear the same stories often. People begin their creative journeys, eager and excited. But as they grow older, the more they create, the more they open themselves up to other people’s judgements. As adolescents and young adults, we are especially susceptible to being influenced by the opinions of others. If we hear negative feedback, we might change our art to please other people, and lose our authentic voice in the process.

As an artist, I’ve learned that many people are willing to give their opinions freely, whether they know about art or not. While doing art shows, I had a front row seat to the many differing opinions of people. One person would visit my booth and make a remark on my work, and the next person to visit would make the opposite remark. This taught me how confusing it would be to follow all of these opposing viewpoints.

We need to remember that art is subjective and so are other people’s varying opinions. There are as many perspectives as there are personalities. This is why we need to be rooted in what we know to be true in our hearts, and not take the judgements of other people too seriously.

Constructive criticism is given out of love, while destructive criticism is given out of fear. We need to be cautious and protective about which type of criticism we open ourselves up to and allow to influence us.

If you are grounded and centered in who you are as an artist, you can take the opinions of others as a grain of salt. When you hear a negative opinion, you can shrug your shoulders and say, “My art isn’t for them.”

The people who love your artwork will find you, and when they do, they will know exactly who you are an artist and how your artwork speaks directly to their souls.

When you create what is authentic to yourself, you can truly connect with others. It’s important to be confident in who you are, and what you know to be true, both as an artist and a human.

If you would like to learn more about how to discover your authentic artistic voice, I created an Intuitive Guide to help you along that journey! This guide will help you tune out all of the noise, get centered in your heart space, listen to your intuition, and honor your inner child, in order to create the art that is an authentic reflection of your soul.

Topics and exercises include:

• What is an artistic voice?
  
• Key components to finding your artistic voice
  
• How constructive and destructive criticism shape us as artists
  
• Understanding art as a skill
  
• Raw Art or Brut Art
  
• Simplicity as an art form
  
• Reflecting on your personal journey as an artist so far
  
• Reflecting on rejections you've faced as an artist and how they have impacted you
  
• Reflecting on outside influences and how they have shaped you as an artist
  
• Reframing your experiences and stories so that they serve instead of hinder you
  
• How to have a clear, recognizable artistic vision and voice
  
• Getting inspired versus copying other artists
  
• Assessing your current artwork
  
• Tuning into your intuition
  
• Aligning with your inner child
  
• Creating from your heart and soul
  
• Visualizing the art you want to create
  
• Experimenting, playing and enjoying the creative process
  
• Getting into Flow State
  
• Creating different bodies of work
  
• Allowing yourself to grow and evolve as an artist
  
• Brainstorming ideas for your artwork
  
• Identifying your artistic voice and how to continue the journey

I WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU THRIVE ON YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY!

GET MY GUIDE, "An Intuitive Guide to Discovering Your Artistic Voice": https://elizabethbeckerart.com/collections/learn/products/visualizing-the-art-you-want-to-create

CREATIVE COACHING: https://elizabethbeckerart.com/pages/mentorship

MY BOOK, “The Child Muse: Living a Simple, Creative Life” is available here: https://elizabethbeckerart.com/products/the-child-muse-living-a-simple-creative-life