Influenced by Nature

Get Outside

Nature is a remarkable thing. No question. Do you get tired though of people telling you to get out and enjoy the beauty of nature or, if you’re having a creative block to just get up and go take a walk? I know there’s great value in their advice, but I get tired of hearing it sometimes, I’ll admit. But two things are true regardless of your love of or lack of love for the great outdoors and those things are: 1) You are influenced by your surroundings whether you want to be or not. 2) What your subconscious has absorbed from your surroundings is going to seep out into the art you create, if you create from an intuitive place. Getting out and experiencing a new place can refuel your creativity without you even begin aware of it. I know this because it just happened to me.

I felt like making art last night just for the sake of playing and what came out was a reflection of my trip to Sedona the previous weekend. I didn’t plan it that way, but the gorgeous colors and formations obviously left a mark on me that lingered.

Even if you don’t paint landscapes or floral still lifes (I appreciate both, but I’m really more of the abstract type), consider getting outside and enjoying a beautiful place. You don’t even need to think about the effect your experience will have on your art—that will happen all on its own. See? It happened to me and I didn’t even fret about it.