Calling All Artists!

Big news for 2021: we’re going LIVE! My dream for this space is that it grows to be one filled with inspiration, lessons, resources, and workshops. Over the next few months, we’re going to be focusing on the creative process and I want to interview, YOU!

Each interview will consists of the same four questions.

1) What makes you, you?

2) Tell me about your relationship with art— what does your creative process look like // how has it evolved?

3) In one word, how would you describe your art, business, or anything that you create (I'll accept hyphenations).

4) What’s something that you’ve learned along the way, that you’d like to pass on?

5) Surprise bonus Q!

Want to join in or have an artist friend in your life that you think would love to be interviewed? Contact me and we can get the ball rolling!

Creative Intertia

A body in motion tends to stay in motion.

I recently caught up with a good friend on the phone while sharing creative tips back and forth about how to keep the spark "alive" in our minds. When days or weeks go by where I haven't made any art, it takes a lot of energy and will power to sit down, focus, and make something. I feel fine without it because I'm lost in other projects. But then, when I sit down and paint for 30 minutes, it all comes rushing back to me.

When I am in a creative rhythm, I have these vivid dreams. Walking through town, you can often catch me daydreaming about colors, lines, and textures. At night, I'm constantly thinking about ways to make a drawing come together. But like inertia, it's fueled by movement, by action, by repetition.

If you feel like you are in a rut, or feeling off emotionally, try dedicating 15 minutes to yourself to create something. Go into it with zero expectations, release any inhibitions, and just put pen to paper. Smile at what you make regardless, be gentle with yourself, and stick with it. See if you notice a difference after a few days of dedicated creative time.

What does your journal look like? Do you have a super small one that you can throw into your bag? I urge you to keep a pocket journal to jot down words that you hear or sketch in instead of quickly jumping to your phone. If you are willing to share your journal pages, I would love to see what you're working on! Feel free to email them to Emily@Emilychapin.com, tag us on Instagram at @_emilychapin, or use #creativeinertia.

Happy creating!

5 Tips in Curating a Creative Space

1. Get Dressed

Put something on that makes you feel like your best self. This could be the softest, comfiest layers, or even the outfit that you've been waiting to wear once the world opens up again.

2. Music

Set the mood. Check-in with yourself and see how you're feeling. Are you looking for slow, dreamy tunes or something a bit more fast-paced? Find some music that will meet your needs to get you in a creative headspace.

3. Take Up Space

Yeah, I said it. SPREAD OUT, make a mess, and move around the room freely. Try being dramatic and just throwing scraps around the room when you're fed up with something. I find that I work best when I can see everything in front of me. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time later to clean up, and it will feel so good.

4. Release

The best advice that an art teacher ever gave me was to make art like a four-year-old. Have you ever noticed how when little kids make art, they don't hold back? Release any inhibitions, and stop trying to make it look like what it is "supposed to look like." Paint with your heart and your whole body and see what happens.

5. Just get started

Starting a new project is hard; there is no question about that. Be gentle with yourself; you will have good days and off days. Before starting a new project, try to draw on scrap paper. See what you like, and keep the test sheet nearby as it may help you again later!

Relax your shoulders, and know that whatever you make is going to be incredible.