Boosting Your Creativity in the Year of the Snake
 |
| Two cow sculptures from an art installation by Liz Leyh. Photo by S. Raymond. |
Making art is never about the equipment, it is always about the artist.
Without intention and action there is nothing.
A New Hope
As the 2025 Year of the Snake is associated with the Wood element, it symbolises a return to creativity, growth, and renewal. Yet, many of us are on a limited budget after funding cuts and 'cost of living' savings, so how do we move forward again?
As artists, we are frequently buying better equipment, going on courses for new techniques, having to buy tickets to exhibitions.* All of that is valuable to update our skills, or when old equipment needs replacing. Yet, none of this is an act of creation. We often don't always need to use something expensive to create great work.
Consider this: Liz Leyh's cow sculptures (and a replica by Bill Billings) were made with concrete and chicken wire, as part of a community art project. They became a symbol of the new city of Milton Keynes (see photo above). Would they have made as much of an impact if they'd been made in bronze or marble?
Artists Are Natural Hoarders
Many arts and crafts people have a studio space, spare room, a shed, or even just a cupboard, full of art equipment they aren't using. Added to which, we often store our old work there too, as an archive or until we exhibit or sell it.
For example, last year a friend 3D printed a mini press, by the Open Press Project, as a birthday gift for me. I was delighted and would have liked to try it straight away. However, last year was quite chaotic on a personal level, so I eventually put it aside, unused, into a drawer.
Recycle, Reuse, Reduce
There are alternatives though. The 'Recycle, Reuse, Reduce' approach to life can also apply to our arts practice. It's also helpful when funds are low. So here's a quick list of ideas for how we can all make more from less in the year of the Snake.
- Reuse your old print art and magazines - print works can be printed or painted over, used in collage, or in craft projects such as as book covers, or to make cards
- Many b/w photographs or prints can be transferred to other surfaces, to be painted over or made into print blocks
- Photographers: join a 'shitty camera challenge' and reuse your old cameras that have seen better days
- Recycle your old art materials and magazines by offering them to your local art clubs and community services. Libraries and charity shops will accept books and magazines in good condition. Charities that offer art therapy may accept materials, as may children's play groups.
- Give your old art to your friends, family, or a library. Now it's both a gift and also someone else's problem to store or display. Tell them "it'll be worth a fortune in the future", which may even be true! The central library was loaned paintings by internationally-exhibited contemporary artists Boyd & Evans, which made it more accessible for many as well as helping the artists free up some workspace.
- Get inspired by the Arte Povera movement - making great art out of unconventional materials
What do you think of these art tips - do any resonate for you?
* HMRC self-employment expenses
