Sketch of my, “Sunflower Pumpkin”
Fall is my favorite time of year. I'm here for cooler days, campfires at night, spiced pumpkin lattes, and breaking out my sweatshirts and jeans. What's that? Did someone say fall color? Count me in on that too. I love the lush green of summer foliage, but nothing beats the saturated earth-toned oranges, reds, yellows and browns of the changing leaves.
Fall is also the gateway to one of my favorite holidays of the year - Halloween. If I had it my way, the orange and purple lights, skeletons, and spider webs would go up in early September (I’d even push for September 1) but that idea is usually met with strange looks from my wife, who would rather see warm summer days in the forecast than gravestones in the landscaping.
While fall is the best season by far, it's a little bittersweet. Dark, cold days are getting close, and the flowers I love drawing and documenting are coming to an end as they prepare for a long winter's nap.
All this change has me thinking about my creativity. While I will never give up drawing flowers, the spooky season is inspiring and seems like the perfect time to experiment with some new subject matter.
But wait. Before we go too far, let's think this through for a minute. If I take the time to experiment (time I already don't have to draw the things I want) it's going to take, well, more time. That's a bummer, because like I said, I don't have time to experiment. And if you think about the brand I'm trying to build on my social channels, this goes against it (nature-inspired enchanted botanical art, if you didn't know). And what would the social media algorithm think about this decision? I'm certain anything but flower art would be suppressed by the social media gods, and then what would I do?
But after all of this internal debate, I finally came to my senses. The benefits of experimentation far outweigh any of these concerns and will help me grow as an artist. I've given it a lot of thought, and here are a few reasons why I feel experimentation is worth it:
Experimenting builds confidence - Most of the time we are perfectly happy sticking to our routine. We are creatures of habit, and we're most comfortable when we know our surroundings and can predict outcomes. But often, when I push myself to try something new, I get a boost to my self-esteem because I'm breaking those habits. It could be trying that new menu item at your favorite restaurant or going to that party when you don't know many people. Try to break old habits or try something new. Take a risk and break out of your comfort zone. You'll feel better about yourself doing something new and different. That's growth, and growth is good.
Experimenting encourages failure - All that stuff I just mentioned above about trying new things and how it works out most of the time — well, sometimes it doesn't. But even when things don’t work out, that's still a good thing, because we learn more about ourselves from failure than from success. Think about it in terms of sports. When you lose, you figure out a plan to improve your weaknesses. When you win, you just keep reinforcing what created the success. This new Halloween experiment may not work out, but if it doesn't, I'll learn more about my creativity and art, I’ll improve and be better for it later.
Experimenting builds new skills - When you experiment, you put yourself in new and unfamiliar situations as an artist, and you're forced to see things from a different perspective. I'm used to drawing leaves, but what can drawing a pumpkin teach me about shapes that I wouldn't have learned otherwise? Trying new things helps both your technical skills and your creativity — your mental approach to solving new problems. It gives you a new perspective, and when creativity kicks in, you feel rejuvenated by the chance to put a new spin on what you do. If you're trying to find your style, this can help you get there quicker.
Experimenting breathes life into your work - Drawing the same subject the same way, month after month, can wear you down even when you love the work. Experimenting breaks that up. It's why I'm excited about this detour to Halloween. Don't get me wrong, I will always draw flowers and when spring comes and the flowers are ready to bloom, I'll be back at it with new skills and a fresh outlook on my own creativity.
I hope these reasons for experimenting resonate with you. I'm looking forward to the upcoming weeks and I'm excited to see where it takes me and what new things I can learn about myself, my creativity, and my art. I know we all have limited time, but I encourage you to take the time and experiment, because I honestly believe the returns will be worth it.
Happy Halloween, and happy experimenting. If you read this and something resonates with you, please let me know — I'd love to hear from you on this topic. Have you taken the time to experiment? Send me a note and let me know how it worked out.
