How To Talk To Your Artist
Everyone has a funny little creature on the inside of them called an artist.
Some people have big, strong, noisy artists that are very hard to ignore. Some people have small, timid, quiet artists that they donāt even notice.
Artists love to make things. Make big things and small things, round things and flat things, things that are nice or good to look at or play with or listen to or even to smell and eat.
These artists are very funny creatures. They donāt speak the same language we do. Artists talk to the outside world with the things they make.
Artists are very sensitive, and so the way you talk to yours can make it either happy or sad.
A healthy and happy artist will make a great many things, and the stronger the artist is the better the things will be. A sickly and sad artist, though, will make very few things, or maybe even none at all.
It is important to use the right words when you talk to your artist. Otherwise you may confuse your artist, or make your artist sad. Artists are so very sensitive that if you make your artist sad enough, it may even become sick. And nobody wants that.
Here is how to talk to your artist.
When you make a step that your artist doesnāt like, donāt say āI made a mistake.ā Say, āWhat is my next step?ā Exercise your artistās ability to fix things.
When your artist wants to do something that scares you, donāt say āI canāt do this.ā Say, āLetās figure out the first thing to do.ā Exercise your artistās ability to learn things.
When your artist doesnāt like something you just finished, donāt say āThis is bad.ā Say, āWhat can I do next time?ā Exercise your artistās ability to grow.
When you see something that a stronger artist has made, donāt say āIām not as good.ā Say, āWhat do I like about this?ā Exercise your artistās ability to see and listen.
When your artist doesnāt want to make anything donāt say āI canāt make things.ā Say, āWhatās wrong?ā If your artist doesnāt want to make anything there is probably a reason.
These are some of the things that might make your artist sick and weak.
Artists can starve. If an artist doesnāt have enough things made by other artists around it canāt get enough to eat and becomes very weak. Give your artist some of its favorite foodsā¦ maybe a walk in the woods, or a museum visit, or a picture book.
Artists can hurt themselves. If an artist keeps on trying to do things that are too hard for it, it becomes hurt and too weak and scared to make anything. Give your artist something nice and easy. Something that makes it feel safe. Then let it take things at a slower paceā¦ artists arenāt meant to race with each other.
Artists can get confused. If it is surrounded by too many things and you keep on asking it to do too many things, it will just run around in circles and wear itself out. The artistās job is to create, but your job is to take care of it. Only ask the artist to do one thing at a time, sometimes only one thing a day, or week, or monthā¦ artists can be easily distracted, and it helps them when you only give them one thing to pay attention to.
Artists are very funny little creatures, but we are very lucky to have them. If you talk to your artist the right way then your artist will be happy to talk to the whole world: and that makes everybody happier.
(Inspired by āWriters Block and How to Use It,ā by Victoria Nelson)
