Julia Rogers

Where to start

Everyone has to start somewhere but this can be THE hardest thing to do. Let me explain.

Where to start

So you have the desire, the materials, the time and no distractions so why is it so difficult to start?

Being overwhelmed can lead to inaction so you need a plan, an idea. I find looking to others who have been here before invaluable. Consider David Lynch who recommends meditation which he never missed a day in over 30yrs or Truman Capote who believed he thought best lying down with a cigarette and coffee to hand. The artist Chris Ofili sets aside a corner of his studio to make loose watercolour and pencil marks before starting work. This is his comfort zone away from his main larger collage and oil paintings.

I personally have a similar-ish routine. There are a few more points in this that I will expand on over time.

My studio is full of stuff I have collected, made, read and as many different materials and tools I have acquired over the years. So imagine tidying such a place. This is what I do I shuffle paper, move things about and mentally prepare. As I do this my eye will land on something interesting (that I put there sometime ago) As I shuffle, a drawing may land on top of another painted bit of paper with some text from a magazine nearby. This is the magic, a happy accident but made of purposefully collected items. Thus the chance of my liking such things is increased. It may be that my eye is drawn to the pile of paper but the phrase on the magazine starts a train of thought. Now I am on my way, I continue until I stop. I have started.

I realised this was how I did things after reading some great stories about artists and their lives and really considering my actions. The answer is always in your hands. You know but just need to clarify.

Lastly don't beat yourself up over your routines. You may have one but not actually realised it. A friend used to have huge arguments with his wife about his daily routine of coming home from his day job and then spending 30-45 max on his playstation. "It drove her crazy" However what happened after his playstation session is interesting. He would start his own video editing. His own creative work. I pointed out that the Playstation was his divide between day job and creative personal work. It was a different down time to what I or anyone else may do.

So I suggest thinking about your routines. You may already be half way there.

Once