The more I think about what I share around art and creativity, and how I can make it more accessible and valuable to you, the more time I am spending in contemplation of my own creative methods.

I’ve always been given to introspection but this is fascinating in a different way.  It frequently requires a step away from myself to look at what I’m doing and how I’m doing it from the perspective of someone watching.

That helps me to break down my processes into steps, from how I have ideas to how I put a painting together, so I can share them with others seeking to move forward with their art. It also helps me uncover solutions to issues that sometimes look like they don’t have any.

I realised that there is one question I always ask myself when approaching anything. It took me ages to work it out because I don’t literally ask myself that, it’s more of an approach I’ve developed, but it works like magic!

It applies to specifically art related stumbling blocks like being stuck on a painting, or when I’m looking for solutions in other areas, from working out how to use technology to getting around the fact that one ingredient is missing in a recipe I’ve already started making!

The question is:

How can I do this differently?

Super simple, and can literally be applied to everything. I solve all sorts of dilemmas by asking myself this question, so I wanted to share it with you as it’s something you can start using right away. You might even like to pin it up somewhere; a visual reminder, even of the obvious things, can be very effective, especially if you see it every day.

Creativity is really just making connections between things ~ the more unlikely the connections, the more ‘radical’ the idea.

Asking yourself what you can do differently allows ideas to arise that bypass the block you’ve reached and find a back door you might not previously have noticed.

Do you have a question you ask yourself when you reach obstacles? How does it work for you? Do you have one that works really well? Do you have a situation that needs a new perspective? Feel free to share it with us and maybe we can conjure up how you might approach it differently!