Planning Session for Visual Artists and Creatives

Hosted by Kathryn Sturges

Created December 30, 2024

Hi! I’m Kathryn Sturges. I have been an artist in different forms for much of my life. And in that time, I have followed my heart wherever it would go. I set goals and crushed them. Sometimes those goals would be dream seeds in my head and heart for years before I brought them to fruition. Other times I would be in the moment, actively pursuing my life’s work.

Materials you will want to have for this mini class:  a sketchbook or notebook, pens and markers, a favorite beverage, a cozy spot to sit and work, optional soothing playlist to listen to.

Today’s planning session is not about making money. Sure, your work as an artist and creative might lead to making an income. But in this workshop, I want to get back into the heart and soul of what brings you to do what you do, and what keeps you coming back for more.

Money comes up as a driving factor for many artists, as the determining factor of how they plan what they will strive to do. <I am guilty of that too!>  Yet creativity is greater than money. It is a stirring from the soul, and it comes from a wellspring deep within. Creativity comes from your mind, body and soul and is often informed by your memories, daydreams, experiences and perspectives.

Just for today, let's set aside financial goals and get to the heart of our dreams, plans and callings of the heart.

Step One:  The Past

It might not seem important to look back.  Piecing together where you come from can help you figure out where you are going.  Let's spend a couple of moments honoring the past!

List it!  What have your most memorable creative projects been to date?  Next to each item, jot down if the project was fun, and if the final result made you feel good or bad. 

A note for if you feel like your past projects were failures, or if this step makes you feel bad.

I have had a lot of dreams as a creative where the result was completely reliant on how others viewed my work, and whether they would pay me money to buy my offerings.  The thing was, when I created art and sewn goods only to sell, I did not produce my best work.  And the work suffered greatly because my heart wasn't in it.  I was aiming for perfection instead of satisfaction, pleasure and joy.  I was trying to please others instead of pleasing myself first.

Have you shared a similar experience?  What would it feel like to set creative goals to nurture your spirit first, instead of chasing money or approval all the time?

How Do You Want to Feel?

Very few people do things that make them feel bad on purpose.  Grab your sketchbook and draw a few sketches of how you want your creative life to feel!

Is there anything you want to stop doing, to feel that way?  Is there anything you want to start doing to feel how you want to feel?

There are no right or wrong answers here.  Creativity is a personal journey that nurtures your spirit.  Only you know what would make your heart sing!

Growing and Learning

I used to share my art for years, hoping somebody would like it.  For many years, very few really did.  I was in a growth and learning phase.  And I had yet to home in on what I wanted to do with my art. 

Things I tried along the way, to level up my art...

I worked in series.  I would do individual works, until something lit my fire and caught my attention.  Then I would explore the work that stirred excitement in my spirit and create as many variations on that work as I could.  Once I had exhausted that creative idea, I would go back to the drawing board and just play again.

One time I spent a year learning how to draw!  I signed up for a drawing class hosted by Alisa Burke.  And then I set aside my beloved paints and filled a sketchbook with pen and marker drawings. 

I've taken endless classes and collected endless art books.  What I've learned the most was that art for me was a life and soul path.  It has been my soul's passion, purpose and deep longing to follow creative paths where they lead.

The Questions

1.  What have you created in the past, that made you feel on top of the world? 

2.  What subject matter have you explored in your art?  Have you felt pulled to create art about something entirely new?  What subject stirs your heart and calls you to create? 

Rate your interest in these subjects, with zero being no interest to five being most interested.  If you were to combine two or more of these subjects into one style of art, what would that look like?  Choose your top two or three favorite subjects and create a list of how you could combine them in the mediums of your choice.

Animals

Portraits

Landscapes

Nature

Buildings

Plants

Urban Sketches

Drawing from Life

Memories

Storytelling

Comics

Food

Luxury

Fashion

Pop Culture

Realism

Spiritual

Religious

Funny

Fantasy

Traditional

Graffiti

Moods

Memories

Add any other subjects that pop into your head!  List out different combinations.  That might look like this...

People plus Nature

Memories plus Animals

etc...

Also, how could you explore your favorite subjects in different mediums?  Would it feel good to go big with the ideas, or to go smaller?  How would you like your audience to experience your work?  Would you like it to be a visual experience?  Or more tactile?

Get out a sketchbook or some paper and sketch out some ideas.  Include images with notes beside the images. 

Take a break!  Get your favorite beverage, take some deep breaths.  Then come back and begin part two!

Part Two:  Your Present Daydreams and Daily Activities

If there is one thing that creatives and artists love to do, it is dream!  Let's dream together!

A Guided Dream: This takes about five to ten minutes.  Allow yourself to really sink in and go slowly.  If you want to, you can record the visualization and then listen to it with your eyes closed.

Still Your Thoughts

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. 

Bring your attention to the feeling of the seat on the chair.

Scan your body for any tense spots, tighten the muscles one by one and release.  Let go of the stress.  Let go of the day.

And

Just

Be

Here.

Breathe for a few minutes, slowly and calmly.  Feel the cool breath on your nose and upper lip.  Listen to the sound of the breath, like the rise and swell of the ocean. 

When you are completely relaxed, let's go deeper.

Visualize yourself in your creative space.  You are working on a project.  You feel really good.  You are so happy to be creating!  Feel the materials in your hands.  There is no right or wrong.  You are just making what you love to make.

What are you creating?  What do you wish you were doing? 

Your phone dings, you've got mail!

You open your email.  It is good news about your art!  What does the letter say?

Now you stand up and go to your studio.  You want to begin a new project, and you are ready to start fresh.  You know this project will make a difference.  You feel grateful to be doing something to help somebody else.  You care deeply.  There is a need and your project will fulfill it.  What are you doing?

Focus back on the project you are making.  If you feel like working on something else, it's ok.  There is time enough for everything under the sun. 

You bask in the glow of being an artist!

And take a few more deep breaths.  Wiggle your fingers and toes.  Stretch.  And slowly open your eyes.

Grab a pen and your sketchbook, and jot down what you remember from the visualization.  If you saw imagery in your mind's eye, sketch it out.  Jot down any colors or sensations you experienced.  What felt most exciting?  What were you creating?  What did the email say?

Mind Map Session!

I am so notorious for creating mind maps!  Many, so many of my ideas have stemmed from them.  Mind maps are fun because making them helps you come up with lots of ideas that you wouldn't normally think of.  Mind maps also show you the way your mind works, and help you see the connections between different aspects of your creative life.

Step One:  Get your sketchbook and a pen, and draw a circle in the middle of a page.  Write "my creativity" in the circle. 

Step Two:  Create five circles around the center circle.  Write these words in the circles, one for each.  "hobbies I love", "unfinished projects", "groups to join", "things to explore", and "materials to work with".  Feel free to change the circles up to make sense for your creative life.  Connect the circles to the center with a line.

Step Three:  Continue branching out with ideas!  Keep making connections between the dreams in your mind.  Highlight places where you write the same word twice.  Look for the themes that show up over and over.  Also notice the ideas you feel most drawn to, that speak the loudest and highlight them with a bold color.  Jot those down on another page in your sketchbook, and brainstorm about them.

Break Time!  Get up, stretch.  Do those few things that have been nagging you at the back of your mind.  Come back to this grounded and ready for part three, where we get into planning for the future!

Part Three:  Let's Dream for the Future!

As a creative and homemaker, with endless time on my hands, I spend a lot of time sitting and thinking.  I read once that Einstein did most of his work like that...sitting alone in an empty room deep in thought. 

Sometimes people get so busy, doing and going and being absorbed in different activities, that they forget what it is like to dream.

Turn on your favorite music, something that makes you feel good.  Sit with your sketchbook, and just think, sketch and be. 

Are there any projects you have been wishing you could try?  Have you seen any art recently that spoke to you?  Have you noticed other creatives doing projects that make you feel jealous? 

Sketch out some of the imagery and longings of your heart.  Journal and write about other artists that make you feel jealous, excited, or envious in any way.  What do they do that you would love to try?  Maybe that means something about what you could be doing.  What draws you to them and their style?  How could you do that, in your own way? 

Are there any teachers or new skills you have been longing to experience or explore?

Is there any medium you have longed to work with?  How could you factor that into your creative time soon? 

Just dream, sketch, and enjoy the music.  Get lost in the visions of your future.  If anything is possible for you, what would you like to be and do?  If the outcome didn't matter and you didn't need people to like your project, and if you didn't need to earn money from your project...what would you do?

Collage Time!

I love to create collages, to help me figure out next steps for my life.  You will hear about people using vision boards to work your magic on the future and manifest a dream life.  I like to use collage more as a way to get current with myself, and figure out what I am drawn to and what I want my creative life to feel and look like.

Let's explore who we want to be, creatively speaking.

Grab a magazine or two, and flip through.  Tear out images that speak to you.  It doesn't have to make sense.  Just pull out any image that calls to you and set it aside.

Once you have a stack of images, tear the images down to fit in your sketchbook.  Using your glue stick, tape or stapler; fix the images into a spread in your sketchbook or journal. 

What clues does this collage have for you and your creative life?  Does it show imagery of how you want to show up to the art table?  Jot down any notes and takeaways on the next page.  Jot down the images you chose and do word associations. 

Look up the meaning of certain words.  Dig into the collage.  How does it make you feel?  Who would you be, if you exemplified the collage?  What would your art be like?

Visions of the Future

As we wind down this planning session, I have a few more questions to ponder, if you desire!

1.  What do you want to be known for? 

2.  If you could make a difference, what would that be? 

3.  Do you love to work alone, or would you like to find more ways to network with others? 

4.  What classes could you take, or topics could you explore; to create what you want to create?  Do you love getting involved in the local art scene, or do you prefer online?  Do you have any books that could point to an area of interest to explore further? 

5.  Do you have enough space, materials, and equipment to begin?  How could you use your materials or space in new ways?  Is there anything you want to add to your stash, or do you want to try and make do with what you have?  Do you work out of the home, or do you dream of renting a creative space?  What could you do to make your creative dreams real?

A Dream is only a Plan until You Make it Real

Take a break and stretch!  The final step is so important. 

Get out your planner or use the calendar on your computer.  And pencil in some action items!

I love to use sticky notes on my computer, but you could use the notes app on your phone.  Flip through your sketchbook and list out the key action steps to make your vision real. 

Write down your major goals and ideas and then create a few small steps for each goal and get them on your calendar.  You can always change dates later and update the action steps as you go along.  The key is to pencil in some future steps, so that you bring your goals, ideas and dreams down to reality.

Thank you for planning with me!  May your dreams take flight!  If you have a dream, there is no time like the present to begin.  And your projects fizzle out, begin again.  And plan again.  And create your artistic life one small step and giant leap at a time!

http://www.kathrynsturges.com

http://www.instagram.com/art.kat.sews