5 lessons you need from Mindful thoughts for artists by Georgina Hooper

A while ago, I read the book “Mindful thoughts for artists” by Georgina Hooper which was recommended to me after the longest art block I ever went through.

Not gonna lie, if there’s one thing I can say about this book is that it’s very underrated. I never heard anyone talk about it until I read it myself. So here are some lessons and insights I picked up from the book “Mindful thoughts for artists” that I believe every artist should know about.

1- Being mindful while making art means quieting your conscious mind

The reason I fell into an art block was that I was avoiding facing my thoughts in my everyday activities. And the moment I would be sitting alone in front of my canvas, thoughts will be pouring and come out of nowhere. I realized that my conscious mind took the opportunity of me being alone and ready to listen to it in the hope to generate creative ideas for my paintings to remind me of all the things I didn’t process yet.

What I learned from “Mindful thoughts for artists” is that quieting our conscious mind while making art is allowing whispered inspirations to be heard and responding to them without fear, which could only happen when other thoughts have been processed. I learned to deal with my overthinking away from the canvas and allow myself to be fully mindful while making art. Georgina explained that the conscious mind is a veil of static noise, distracting us from accessing a deeper intuitive state of mind.

“If we are not working freely or are hampered by overthinking, the intuitive impulse can be lost”.

Georgina Hooper

Read the article: Intuitive art exercises to connect with your inner artist

2- Why capturing essence and feelings while making art matters

Georgina cited that Ancient Chinese scholars believed that paintings were imprints of the mind; through the physical act of painting, the artist’s soul was conveyed. When appraising the artistic mastery of an artwork, scholars would talk about its ch’i yun, or ‘spirit resonance’. That is why artists rarely painted a subject in situ or en plein air as the impressionists might have. Rather, the artist would go to the subject and absorb it. It was seen and felt and lived. Then they would return to paint it in the studio, as they had uniquely understood it.

So in order for an artist to translate what they had in their minds as uniquely theirs, their drawing had to be done by putting together mind and spirit so closely that nothing could come between them.

I learned from this that when we mindfully connect with a subject, we are not only surveying the details and character of it but also looking within, to reflect on ourselves as we respond to the experience of it.

This has changed my whole style and approach to art! I now no longer stress about how others see my art, I only care about my own experience in the process of creating it and if I translate my own spirit and mind into the pieces I create.

3- The aesthetic experience of making art that evokes emotions is personal

Aesthetics stands for the sense of pleasure associated with the perception of beauty. Looking at art and creating it, has the capability to make us feel deeply.

As artists, mindfully tapping into how we feel is an effective tool for achieving more aesthetic art.

Inspiration comes from our sensory experiences of the external world and the emotional responses of our internal world. Life’s sensory and emotional experiences are self-fuelling for the artist: the more we sense and perceive, the more likely we are to be able to make others do the same.

Example:

A sunrise can be a moving and uplifting experience. but what is it exactly about the sunrise that makes it so? This can be very personal. For me, it is perhaps the color of the sky. the quality of the light and the crispness of the air, the silence and stillness of the moment, and the ephemerality of it, ever-changing and soon to disappear. But how does an artist capture that in an artwork?

I have yet to see a painting of a sunrise that can make me feel the same way I do when the sun peeps over the horizon on a brand-new day and lights up the sky in a blaze of color.

However, other artists may have been able to capture a sunset the way they felt it. I state here Mark Rothko who is known for using strong colors in evoking emotions.

This concludes that if you are someone who compares their art to others, you are doing a very wrong thing! you’re hurting the peace of mind that would make you create authentic art that only YOU can create.

4- The inner critic

Reading “Mindful thoughts for artists” made me realize that: the majority of people who think they can’t do art were told by no one but their inner critic. I have personally struggled with this so much growing up. No matter how many people tell me that they love and enjoy my work, my inner critic still professes that I can’t paint.

The little voice can be the giver of such a severe appraisal and scathing review of your artistic skills that you may want to throw your proverbial paintbrush and run. The inner critic is not a creative free thinker. It is a voice of caution, self-criticism, and self-regulation. Self-criticism orients in the parts of the brain that also takes care of error processing and resolution and that regulate behavior in social situations. The act of creation is a scenario that could be regarded as having a high potential for a personal failure or mistake.

How can we train our inner critic?

Before you start creating, listen out for your inner critic. 

• Take note of any negative, self-critical thoughts that emerge in your internal dialogue.
• Simply thank your inner critic for the comments, and kindly explain that its services are not necessary right now.
• We need to agree with ourselves that art comes from a place with no logical thought, an instinctive spontaneous way of working that is uninhibited by conscious criticism. 

Note that our thoughts can never be entirely calmed into being absent. 

Constructive or critical?

When the inner critic says “you can’t really paint” or “you are going to ruin this work if you keep painting”, choose to pause, sit with your work for a while, or review it after a walk.  

This way, we meditate on whether the inner critic was giving constructive artistic advice or a comment motivated by fear. Once you do this and let go of self-criticism and fear, you can open up to a confident, spontaneous, and relaxed state of mind and creation.

5- Artistic Community

I have always been a believer in the power of community, especially in creative endeavors. I love connecting with creatives from all fields and backgrounds because it opens up dimensions in my mind that sooner or later reflect on my work. The book “Mindful thoughts for artists” also touched on this topic which I appreciated so much.

‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’

“Mindful thoughts for artists” by Georgina Hooper

When we open ourselves to authentic connections with other people who share similar passions, knowledge, or enthusiasm, we can be invigorated, supported, and inspired. We do this through:

Making sincere connections

When we build our art communities slowly and selectively, like we do our friendship groups, we can enrich our working lives and our craft in a whole new way.

Small and slow

Cultivating a smaller art community, an inner circle, that you feel safe with is important. My inner circle consists of mentors, patrons, students, and friends from all manner of experiences. They are collectively people whom I admire, and have a genuine connection with, people whom I respect, whose company I enjoy – but above all, people who are kind, compassionate, honest, and encouraging.

Connection in a digital age

You can connect with other creatives in this digital age as follows:

• writing meaningful messages/ comments to the people you appreciate. 

• subscribing to their newsletters.

• collaborating with other artists on mutual projects.

Conclusion

This book really matured the way I viewed art and my emotional state while creating. It was a smooth, short, and awakening read! Let me know your thoughts about it if you’ve read it before.

You may also enjoy: Books that changed my life as an Artist