‘Lead with curiosity’. This concept really helped me break through a limiting belief that held me back for over 10 years. I chose to study textile design at university, despite loving fine art, because at the time I thought art was not a viable career. Fast forward 8 years and I found myself lost and wanting to get back to who I was. So I took up painting again, just for the love of it, with no expectations or career goals but to simply enjoy the process. I was leading with my curiosity rather than worrying about the future. And since then I’ve been in galleries from New York to London, had art commissioned and appeared in Vanity Fair. Never did I think that would be possible by following my interest and just doing what I love. But that’s how art works, you connect with others when you follow your own heart and passions, as it shines through.
For years I got caught up in my own thinking, about how I could make a career from art. It stopped me from following my dreams because I didn’t have the answers and nor should I have. For one, when I started university it was the very early stages of social media, Facebook had just started and was only open to University students. Social media and the wider innovation of technology has been a game changer for artists. Galleries are no longer the gatekeepers to getting your work seen and sold. This just proves my procrastination due to the unknown was an unnecessary blocker that got in my way. By leading with curiosity you have permission to just try some things you’re interested in and not to worry about where it will or will not lead. Just ask yourself what’s the next step, and you’ll keep moving forward.
You never really know where any creative practice (or any idea) will end up. Particularly for creatives the path to success looks different for each individual. The only way to work out what feels good to you is to try out new things and listen to your inner voice. We all have an inner voice that needs attention and the right tools to hear what your heart desires. This is the key to creating your own path, and work that really lights you up.
So what does leading with curiosity actually look like? I’ve created some creative habits that keep me on my path of interest as it’s so easy to get distracted by what other people are doing, trends, or other people’s opinions. My first recommendation is to journal every morning before you do anything else. Write down 2 A4 pages of free-flow writing, whatever comes to your mind, the good, bad and ugly. When you start it will sound like drivel, but bear with the process, during the writing process, you’ll start to get clear on what you want out of life and how to change things. It’s a space to be completely honest and to put you on the page. The other thing I do is record my inspirations in a sketchbook. I write notes against the images about what it is that I love and try to dig into why. From walking most days I also keep a lot of photos for inspiration. You just have to pay attention and give that inner voice the permission to say I like this, or equally as important what don’t you like?
My sketchbook is a place to test ideas before I start painting a new canvas. It’s important to create space to play with no pressure on the finished result.
Shifting your mindset from obsessing over all the reasons why you shouldn’t do something, instead of listening to what you really want is an easy trap to fall into. Once you liberate yourself from expectations and other people’s opinions the world feels like a new place full of opportunities. Whilst you’re on the journey of following your passions, there’s no need to share this with anyone else online or offline. You’ll need to nurture your interests and just explore what feels good and not so good. It’s not anything someone else can help with, it’s a journey you need to follow for yourself. Give yourself time, space and permission to follow your curiosity.
Written by Ruth Egon, the artist.
“I'm passionate about encouraging everyone to create. I like to build confidence in less experienced artists and break down elitist ideas about entering the world of art’
Ruth Egon leads an online art membership, The Art Hub Community! We are an inspirational, nurturing and fun art community. We gather creative souls who are curious about developing their interest in art, through live workshops, forums and inspiring content.
Together we build confidence, express joy and create art that’s authentic to us.
At Art Hub we create art in live group workshops, engage in lively and informative chat forums, share inspiration and grow skills through group challenges. We offer a welcoming, supportive and fun membership, so that we can become an authentic, confident, vibrant, purposeful and connected group of artists.
You don't need any experience to join us, all you need is an interest in art and a willingness to give it a go. Designed to be fun, and engaging and to build your creative confidence, these are the perfect sessions to get you started.
Sign up here: https://ruthegon.com/pages/art-hub-community