Hello friends!

A while ago I put a call out for your creative questions and today I thought I would tackle one that I know a lot of creatives struggle with...​

"Did you have any fear/anxiety about making art? If so, how did you get over that obstacle?"

The answer is… Absolutely. I have fear and anxiety about making art, running a business, sharing my thoughts on this blog... I've actually had this post written for a while now but haven't shared it out of fear, What if someone judges me?! I'm not a professional councillor, who am I to talk about this? Clearly, I haven’t gotten over fear, I'm not sure that's something anyone can do, but I am slowly learning to embrace the uncomfortableness as a normal part of the process of growth and creation. ​

I’ve avoided doing so many things in my life that I wanted to do because they made me uncomfortable. I told myself, that’s just not my thing. If it was my thing it would come naturally, it would make me happy. The problem with that is that a happy life is not necessarily a fulfilled life and I spent a long time coasting along, looking for fulfilment in all of my comfortable places and not coming up with much. I was recently listening to an episode of the Life Coach School podcast with Brooke Castillo called Aliveness (Episode 363). In it, she suggests that the point of being human is not to be happy, but to learn, grow and evolve. What a concept! Progress requires action and true happiness will come through the willingness and determination to push through uncomfortable moments in order to chase after your dreams.

It’s okay and totally normal to be fearful of the unknown. It’s how we protect ourselves from danger. There was a time when those unknown things might literally jump out and eat us. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to worry so much about wild animals lurking about our creative work spaces but our fear is still on full attention. It’s there, ready to warn us of the next thing that might take us down, like showing our face in Instagram stories, or doing a Facebook live, Gah! Or…dare I say…sharing our work online for the first time. Unfortunately for us it’s often not the big scary things like lions, tigers and social media that end up taking us down. It’s fear. It has taken me down many times and although it’s easy to hide away with fear. It isn’t fun and it isn’t fulfilling. 

When faced with fear it can be helpful to break down exactly what’s going on and tackle each of those things head on. For example, I’ve thought about teaching online for a few years now but kept brushing it off. When I took the time to think about it, I realized that I was actually terrified of filming myself. So I took an online video challenge and learned to get comfortable on camera in a safe and encouraging environment. I’m still not totally confident with being on video but I did make enough progress that I now feel comfortable enough to film a course. That was huge progress for me and I was able to get there by taking small, approachable steps.

​​I think, as creatives, a lot of us also fear judgement of our work. We put so much of ourselves into our work that it can become difficult to separate where we end and it begins. Yes, there might be the occasional troll, but in general it’s important to remember, that a critique on your work is not a critique on you as a person. It’s an opportunity for clarity and can help you get closer to your desired outcome. When it comes to art, having an open mind to critical thinking is a huge part of being able to grow and develop our skills. It’s a cornerstone of success in my opinion. Yes it can be scary to put ourselves and our work out into the world but showing vulnerability is incredibly resonating, it forms the biggest connections, and has the biggest impact on others as well as ourselves.

In order to grow we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, even if it’s just a little bit at a time. If we’re not feeling at least a bit of fear or discomfort, we’re probably not doing it right. When our bodies are preparing themselves to take on a challenge our hearts start pumping faster, our palms get sweaty, and we fill with adrenaline. Is it fear? Is it excitement? Maybe, it’s both. Either way we can channel the anxious energy, built up by fear, as excitement and motivation to help us do the work. We just need to decide if our dream or desired outcome is more important to us than our fear. If it is then it’s time to put fear in the back seat.

*I'm sharing these thoughts from my own experience in dealing with manageable levels of fear and anxiety. Anxiety comes in all forms and I am by no means a professional in that regard. If you are really struggling and find it difficult to move through day to day activities, asking for help from someone who can offer professionally trained guidance may just be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Some of you might know that after finishing art school I worked at a local art supply store for several years. While there I learned A LOT about all of the various supplies out there. I still love talking about art supplies and will take every opportunity to do so. So in my attempt at a holiday gift guide of sorts I’ve compiled this list of supplies that I love and use most often. It's certainly not a comprehensive list (although I did get a bit carried away with the descriptions!) but hope you enjoy reading through and maybe you'll find something  fun for your wishlist! Keep in mind that these are the tools that I’ve found work best for me. There are countless other tools out there that are just as wonderful and if you have anything you’d like to add to this list please share in the comments!

​I’m linking to my favourite local art store where possible and I would encourage you to shop small and look for these products at your own favourite locally owned business.

Gouache is basically an opaque watercolour paint. I love working with it because it has a beautiful silky matte finish and it’s much more forgiving and easier to control than regular watercolour. Traditional gouache is water-soluble and you can re-wet it after it dries. So if you’re used to using watercolour and want to give gouache a try, a traditional water soluble gouache like Winsor & Newton would be a great way to dip your toe (or brush!) in. You can also use traditional gouache in combination with your existing watercolour paints which is handy, especially if you just want to start by incorporating a few colours here and there.

​When I first started using gouache I was more comfortable with acrylic paint which remains solid once dry, allowing for layering without affecting the paint underneath, so I opted for acrylic gouache which has those same features. If you go this route, I’d recommend getting a Stay-Wet Palette as well. They’ll help prevent your paint from drying out in-between uses. I'll talk more about them below. Whichever your preference, I definitely recommending giving gouache a try. It may take a bit but once you get the hang of it I know you will love it!

For those who've been wondering how to pronounce this funny looking word, I've heard it said a few different ways, but the way I learned and have always known it to be is "Gwash", as in the word "wash" with a G sound in front.

Acryla Gouache
Liquitex Acrylic Gouache
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache (Water soluble)

I don’t use a ton of watercolour but I do have a few go-to favourites which I’ll share here. As with most paint, watercolour is available in both student and artist quality. The difference being the amount of extra “filler” to pigment ratio. The pigment being the expensive part . Student quality paint has a much higher amount of filler which makes it less expensive. It also means that the colours are less vibrant both on their own and even more so when mixed,  so the end result is often not great. Many beginners give up after their first few attempts, mistakenly thinking that they just aren’t good at painting, when in fact it’s the low quality paint that is making things difficult. So, If you can, I would always recommend investing in artist quality paint when possible.

If you want to save some money with student quality paints there are a few things you can do. Winsor & Newton’s Cotman watercolours are a higher end student quality paint that is a great option. You can also mix things up by purchasing your whites, browns and other neutrals in student quality and splurge when you can on the more expensive bright colours which have a much higher pigment load and will go a lot further in use as well as more vibrant mixing.

Winsor & Newton Watercolour (Artist Quality)
Daniel Smith (Artist Quality) - Offers a huge variety of really interesting colours unique to this brand.
​Holbein Watercolour (Artist Quality)
Cotman Watercolour (Student Quality)

While I’m pretty particular about paint, I’m not nearly as particular about brushes. Even old splayed brushes have their uses in creating beautiful texture. For Gouache I prefer using inexpensive mixed media brushes like Robert Simmons or synthetic watercolour brushes like W&N Cotman brushes because I find the gouache tends to be a bit harder on the brush and the sturdy synthetic fibre holds up better, I also don’t feel as bad about replacing them more often. For watercolour I’d recommend using a natural bristle brush because all of the little micro imperfections in the fibre allow the brush to hold much more water and release it slowly over time, meaning you’ll have better control without the constant re-dipping. The natural curve of the fibre also makes a point that’s perfect for fine details, even with a large brush.

Cotman Watercolour Brushes​ (Gouache or Watercolour)
Simply Simmons Mixed Media Brushes (Gouache)
H.J 170 Kolinsky Sable Brushes (Gouache or Watercolour) - Fine detailing
W&N Professional Watercolour Sable Brushes (Artist Quality, Watercolour)
Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Watercolour Brushes (Artist Quality, Watercolour) - A major splurge but these brushes have been known to last a lifetime and beyond. They are the best of the best. 

When choosing a paper for illustration I’m always thinking about what is going to scan well. I look for smooth bright white paper that is thick enough to hold up to wet media and isn’t too absorbent, which causes the paint to bleed into the fibres rather than sit nicely on top of the paper. Arches Hot press is beautiful to work with but I also really like using Strathmore Mixed media pads or Canson XL Watercolour Pads because they’re a bit more economical for the way that I work. For sketchbooks I love using Moleskin as well as Global Art Hand Book Artist Journals which are very similar but have thicker paper and are slightly less expensive than Moleskin.

Arches Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper
Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media Pad
Canson XL watercolour pad
Moleskine Notebook
Global Art Hand Book Artist Journals 

You made it to the end! Thank you for hanging in there. That is my list so far but it's just the tip of the Iceberg! In future posts I’ll be sharing more of my artsy favourites like all of my favourite digital supplies, books and online courses.
Stay tuned! 
And be sure to comment below with you’re favourite supplies!

Best,
​Meghann

Creating a mood board of colour and reference images can also help you create a beautiful finished product. You can create a physical inspiration board with magazine clippings, colour chips and and other objects or you can create a virtual board using Pinterest. Reference things like home decor, photography, vintage patterns or anything else that you find interesting, but try not to include artwork in a similar vein as your own. You want to come up with your own, original work and not be overly inspired by someone else's.

You can also plan out your colours in advance which is what I do. Check out my Free Guide to Creating Stand Out Colour Palettes, to learn all about how I choose my colours.

Of course you can tackle this step any way you’d like and if you have a way that works for you then go for it! There is no right or wrong way to create your final image, be it paint, collage, digital, etc., but here’s what I do because it works for me…

I like to build up my artwork in layers. This allows me to see and adjust the entire piece as I go and that helps with getting a well balanced look to the final artwork. I start by either lightly sketching or using a light table and then blocking in the basic shapes of my composition first. The idea is not to focus on just one area at a time and make it perfect, but to instead focus on the overall shapes you are creating and build up the detail evenly around the piece. Think of it in terms of writing an essay, you need to create your outline first and then refine and refine from there in order to end up with a cohesive finished product.​

Side note - If I’m creating something that I know is going to end up as a digital file for licensing then I will usually break my composition up into icons so that it’s easier to edit and assemble on the computer, however I’ll still use this method of working in layers within each icon. Again, not necessary, just what works for me.

Thank you so much for following along! I hope that you’re able to implement some of these strategies into your own workflow and I’d love to see what you create! Feel free to leave a comment below, tag me on Instagram or send me a message letting me know what you want to learn about next!

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​You can also check out my full range of greeting cards with Lagom Design here.

Best,
Meghann

Find me on Instagram:
​@meghannrader