It has long been my belief that the universe wants us to be amazing, creative people.  Every time I take a step toward identifying myself as a ‘thriving artist’, it rewards me with a new opportunity, a new show, or a new idea.  So today I want to encourage everyone to take a moment to listen to their inner child.  What does it want you to do?  Mine generally wants to take a walk and try to not step on the sidewalk cracks.  In fact, I always get ideas for my sketches while I’m moving.

Right about now you’re asking, ‘How can I listen to my inner child? I’m sure I don’t have one.’

I assure you that you do, it just may be repressed from years of telling yourself to ‘act your age’.  I have a few tips to tapping into your inner artist whether you can draw like da Vinci or my mother (whose art = boxes on to-do lists).

1. Keep an ‘inspiration’ journal.  My boyfriend made me one last year when he was learning how to coptic bind and I quickly put some Edward Gorey images on the front.  Inside I filled it with sketches, little snippets of ideas as they come to me, and just fun stuff in general.  By writing down things that interest me, I’m telling my inner child that’s it’s all right to have fun.  This has greatly helped me come up with new ideas.

2. Go for a walk by yourself. Don’t put in your headphones. Don’t take your phone. Just listen to the sounds around you and let your mind wander. I never cease to be amazed by how many of my problems I work out while taking a walk.

(  Sometimes the Road is Rugged by http://www.etsy.com/shop/dianalemieux)

3. Check out a fun book from the library. I LOVE children’s books. When I was in college, I thought my bookshelves had to be those of an English major. I had all of the Bard’s work, all the British classics, and a few of those obscure Greek plays. Now that I’m done with college, I’ve made my library a reflection of myself. Instead of Shakespeare, I now have Garth Nix. I think this has also been a huge push for my creative inner child.

(Picture 3 – Peter Pan by http://www.etsy.com/shop/BreckinridgeBeads)

I hope this has inspired you to tap into that little voice inside of you. I want this blog to be a place where people can come away with a new appreciation for themselves and a desire to be the artist they are, whether it’s an artist who paints landscapes or one who redecorates their house better than Martha Stewart. We are all creative in our own ways and our canvases are everywhere in our life. So let’s all use today to take a step toward our creative selves!