Brook Gossen’s TOP 5 Tips to stay Focussed & Motivated
I am finding my ‘WHY’, on my journey to bring you these tips, resources & information I am getting so much joy from it and making deeper connections with you and artists I admire.
In the hope to help you on your creative journey I hope you get something from this post to help you stay motivate.
Let me introduce..
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
brook gossen
Brook Gossen is an artist, surface pattern designer and illustrator from Brisbane, Australia. She makes colourful, feel-good designs which can be found on clothing, lunchboxes, chocolate packaging, cat collars, earrings, album covers, stationery, gift boxes, greeting cards, candles, fabric and more. Brook creates her vibrant artworks and designs using paper collage, acrylic paints and digitally, and sometimes all three together. Her designs are fun, fresh, bold and often filled with all the colours of the rainbow. If people smile when they view her work, her mission is accomplished.
BROOk’s top FIVE Tips
For staying focussed and motivated to show up everyday and do art.
1
Set yourself a goal, and hold yourself accountable, but in a way that is achievable. For example, if you decide to participate in the 100 day project, can you realistically create one new work every single day for 100 days? For me, the answer was definitely not, so instead, I just aimed to create 100 new artworks as often as I could, and at least 4 days a week. It took me longer than the project should, however it worked better for me, as a mum and while still working.
2
Try creative prompts, or dtiys by other creators to step a little outside of your comfort zone and create work you may not otherwise create. This in turn helps you grow as an artist and you may just find a new direction. Participating in creative prompts helped me step away from designing patterns and move into illustrating, and now both are integral to my design practice.
3
Don’t compare, just share. There’s so much art around us to look at and enjoy but don’t let it make you feel bad or stop you from creating. There’s enough room for us all, at all of our different stages in our creative journeys. Just be sure to credit anyone who informs or heavily inspires your work as you’re developing your style. This includes artists if you use their work as inspiration, or photographers or influencers if you use their photos to base your illustrations on. They love to hear that they’ve been a source of inspiration, and it shows transparency.
4
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if its good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” Wise words by Andy Warhol. Just show up as often as you can and keep creating. Who cares if not everyone likes it? You can’t please everyone, not everyone is going to love your work. But that’s ok. There will be plenty who do.
5
The more you create, the more you are honing your skills, and the better you get. We all start somewhere and honestly, when I look back on my earliest work, I cringe! But it shows how far I’ve come too. So keep making, as often as you can; and every now and then, take the time to look back and see how much you’ve improved and grown. It can be a great motivator.
