Creative Spirit Blog April 16, 2026 It's All in Your Attitude!

“There is no must in art, because art is free". Wassily Kandinsky

Tree's Blossoms Bring Hope Mixed Media

The attitude we bring to our work is reflected in what we do.  The playfulness and joy we have when we approach a piece shows in our work. Conversely the discomfort we have when we approach our work shows also.  If we come thinking, we can’t we probably won’t.  What we each need to do is be present in the moment and enjoy the process.  Inspiration  comes.

So where exactly does our creative motivation come from?  That is different for all of us. It can come from seeing something that excites us, from being in a place that stirs something inside of us, or from just playing around, or being with other creatives just bouncing ideas around.

Sometimes the problem we experience is self doubt. We don’t recognize our own worth or our talent.  There are probably many reasons for this. Three that come to mind are:

First: We lack the ability to have fun and let our inner child take over. We feel we need a plan.

Second: We let the outside world affect what we know and how we feel.  We feel in competition with those around us. We need to stand in our power and remember: If we want others to believe in us, we must believe in ourselves first. 

Third: It may be because we judge our work too hard. After we have invested time and emotional energy in a piece of work, we may be too close to the work to view it objectively; and give it that unbiased critique it sometimes needs. We need to step away, and put it away for a while, before we start judging it. 

We need to remember that everything that goes on around us is going to affect how we are feeling at that moment, and that is going to affect how we feel about what we have done. Our back hurts, our feet hurt, we’re tired, we need to be somewhere…we hate it!   The next day we get up feeling great.  We look at it with new eyes and it wasn’t as bad as we thought the day before.

When we move in the direction of something we enjoy, it gives us a sense of wellbeing, personal growth, and a sense of purpose. If we are moved by something and enjoy what we do, we are intrinsically motivated. So, we should create in a style we like, about something we love, and enjoy the journey.

When we couple intrinsic motivation with our creative selves, we find joy in what we do, and the work comes from our “heart”.  That is what should be inherent when we create. If we are doing it more for the external motivation, accolades, awards, and dollar value, it is probably going to be missing the “heart”; which is so important to creative work. 

We can’t underestimate attitude and play. If we come to a piece with negative feelings, we are not going to accomplish much.  Take off the pressure!  Play for a while. The muse will come. Carolyn