a guide to taking your creative enthusiasm seriously

flirt with your art again

the right idea will dominate you.

you won’t have to wonder about what you want to create. when the spark hits you will pick up your tools and get to work.

i’m reading a biography on Keith Haring and there’s was just a part where his art-making process was likened to that of Picasso (comparison by Pabs’ son, noless). they’d work up close to the surface. face hovering inches away only to reveal the entire piece to themselves when they’ve decided it’s done and take their first step back.

when you know what you want to create you won’t be able to stop yourself.

when you get really lit up by an idea, a style, a project - that matters. the spark is not random. it’s the amalgamation of everything you allowed yourself to get influenced by. feed yourself with enough nutritious inspiration and an idea will bubble to the surface that you can’t stop yourself from falling in sweet obsessive love with.

you are meant to be making things.

this is your little reminder (or permission slip, if you feel like you need one) to actually take your creative excitement seriously.

here’s how to start:

5 ways to prioritise your creative enthusiasm

1. stop brushing it off like it’s “just a phase”

you know how picasso had a blue period? or how grimes went all in making space-pop on garageband in her bedroom? that’s acting on your creative enthusiasm. saying what you want to say. pure expression. they followed what felt right in the moment. you can do the same. even if it doesn’t make sense yet. even if it’s messy. even if it’s not your forever thing.

2. you actually have to pick yourself

if you’re waiting for someone to say grant you permission to make your art you’ll be waiting forever. warhol didn’t wait. basquiat didn’t wait. they just started making stuff and showing up. your creative life starts when you decide it does.

3. set up tiny systems so your ideas don’t get lost

some days you’ll feel unstoppable. other days will be different. so have a system for tracking ideas and pockets of creative so you can take advantage of these pings when your creative enthusiasm and energy is at its peak. write your ideas down. have a little routine. maybe it’s voice notes while you walk. leave little memories and clues to your future self.

4. let people see what you’re excited about

people love seeing someone in their creative zone. it’s why i will watch every interview where tyler, the creator speaks on his creative process. that kind of enthusiasm is contagious. artists get so excited about an idea that they quite literally manifest something new into the universe. this is pure magic in the most down-to-mars way. you don’t need to fake it being cooler than cooler when really your art wants to bubble out of you. basically, be cringe or whatever.

5. treat your creativity like someone you’re in love with

if you were dating your art, would you ignore it all week and only check in when you “have time”? i really fucking hope not. flirt with your art. your creativity wants your attention. romance the shit out of it.

taking your creative enthusiasm seriously means listening to what lights you up. letting that lead. giving it space to grow.

because when you follow that spark, your whole life starts to feel more like you - you create it that way. and that’s what this is really about. making art. being hot. living like the bombshell you were born to be.

now go make the thing.

Gabi

xx