4 Ways to Grow Your Creativity PLUS Creative Sketchbook Ideas

“The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fears.” Dan Stevens

Are your students stuck in their comfort zone? Do they always create art based on what they are familiar with? Are YOU stuck in your comfort zone? OUCH-that one got me!

Growing beyond our current abilities requires RISK–getting outside of our comfortable situations-mentally and physically.

As art teachers, parents, artists we ALL need to be challenging ourselves to grow in our professions (sometimes we have multiple professions). So how to we do that? How do you take risks? I am going to tackle this from the art teacher perspective-here are 4 Ways to Grow Your Creativity.

4 Ways to Grow Your Creativity

1. Put your self in a new environment.

This could be as simple as visiting a new art gallery or new funky restaurant. Point is-visit a NEW place-get yourself out of your normal environment. It’s best to start locally, somewhere that will not be a big expense. BE AN OBSERVER-look for new inspiration. Bring a sketchbook & sketch various things you see there.

2. Try a new art medium.

What is an art medium you have been afraid of? Buy or borrow some supplies and create a piece of art using that new medium. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL! We learn by doing & you must a least TRY something different.

3. Research a new art style you know little about.

Find out the major artists and characteristics about it then create a project on it. Do you normally work realistically? CHALLENGE YOURSELF to create a completely non-objective piece that has good design!

4. Combine two unrelated things.

Whether its two art mediums or two art styles-it doesn’t matter. Just try two new somethings combined into one piece of art! (Try the sketchbook ideas below for a start!)

4 FUN Sketchbook Assignments for Building Creativity

Juxtaposition Drawing: Create a new object by combining 2 unrelated objects-one needs to be from nature, the other needs to be mechanical. Render with full shading. Medium: colored pencil
Example Here

Scissor Metamorphosis: Use a pair of scissors as a beginning point, creatively transform the scissors into something else- a monster, a robot, a machine, a vehicle, an animal. Change its scale & it purpose. Render with full shading. Medium: colored pencils
Example Here

Preposterous Cross-links: Choose any 2 words below to combine together in one image:Turtle Octopus Snake Bird Lizard Bee Rat Fish

Pencil Hammer Saw Pliers Scissors Tire Clock Drum

Medium: colored pencil
Example Here

Morphing Transformation: Choose 2 two objects (one animal & one man made) to slowly morph into each other. You should have 6 drawings illustrating the transformation of one object into the other. ADD FULL SHADING Medium: drawing pencils
Example Here