BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Creativity Choosing a subject for an artwork

This week's article is on Choosing a subject for an artwork

For a long time I avoided painting still life subjects. I think it was too many boring school art classes where one's skills haven't developed sufficiently to capture what looks to the eye to be a simple subject. Young artists are easily disheartened, and also easily bored.

A few years ago I was intrigued by a close-up photograph my husband took of a rose. He was simply testing the macro function of his new camera - for me, that photograph opened up a whole new world of still life art that could, and did, hold my attention as an artist.

You can see the results of my interpretation here: Dawn and Dusk

I haven't quite found my inspiration yet. I used to be very artistic as a young child. Then during the teen years I lost interest. Now as an adult I would really like to explore the artistic side of me. I just don't know what I want to do, draw, paint, photography, ceramics..... it all looks like so much fun. Any suggestions on where to start?

Think back to your childhood when you were most artistic. What did you really enjoy doing? What was the first thing you reached for on a rainy day when you felt like "making something"? - Clay? Coloured Pencils? Paints? Felt Tipped Pens? Start there. Just try to reconnect with your creativity, with something really familiar.

Then as you start to warm your creativity up again, the choices might seem clearer to you. Perhaps you find you really love drawing (for example) and you want to explore that a bit more. Or perhaps you start itching to try something completely new. Then you can set aside a few weeks to maybe take a class in a new subject, or get some books out the library and just play around with an art form that's new to you.

Have fun! That's the most important part