Creating ugly art is all about and allowing ourselves the freedom to let go of the pressure to make something perfect. It is in this space where we open ourselves up to limitless possibilities.
About 2 years ago, I purchased a tablet so that I could dive deeper into creating art “on the go” I’d always dreamed of being able to create as fast as I can think it. I understood that digital painting would provide this opportunity to do so - however it was a new medium that I was wholly unfamiliar with.
Needless to say learning to “paint” on a digital tablet is completely different than painting with a brush. First of all, the pen to surface has a slippery feel that I to this day do not enjoy but the thrill of seeing ideas, shapes and colors come alive at the stroke of a pen is exhilarating to me. For some time though, I truly could not feel into working on this slippery surface and so piece after piece came out in unexpected and what I considered to be ugly ways. On top of that, I had to learn all of the brushes and where each was located in the menu. This became a very frustrating process, especially when I would fall in love with a certain brush, be in the middle of a beautiful flow and then could not remember which menu it was in. SMH
Then, one day, I decided that I would just allow whatever happened to happen. That is when I finally had a breakthrough and found a flow. In that space I begin to free myself up of creating something beautiful or companionable to my physical work and I began to really enjoy the process of discovery. I no longer worried about whether or not it looked beautiful - instead I just enjoyed the “digital experiments”. The most beautiful surprise is that once I begin to let go, I begin to create digital abastract pieces that I really like! I am not where I want to be just yet with digital art as I dream about creating more detailed work, but the excitement and constant discovery of new shapes, colors and techniques without the pressure of it being a thing is a thrill I am willing to experience again and again.
In the end, what I can share is that this process of Allowing ourselves to create “ugly art” is priceless because it helps us to relax, have fun and push past the limits of what we currently know and in turn becomes our greatest moments of growth, learning and breakthrough.
Here are a few of the digital pieces I am currently working on.
Looking for more Creative Inspiration? …Join the 27 Day Creativity Challenge Today!
Comments