Make Your Art No Matter What
By Elizabeth Lake, FCLC 2023
Do you like to write, paint, sing, edit videos, fold origami, or participate in some other type of creative expression? Has it been difficult for you to find time for your creative practice since you started college? Oftentimes when we are busy, we put our art on the backburner in order to prioritize academics, a job, or even a social life. I’m here to stir the pot and let you know that your art is also important and that there is a way for you to incorporate it into a busy college lifestyle.
When I began college at Fordham, I found it difficult to schedule time for my creative practice. I was on the pre-med track, and my time was filled with homework, classes, and my social life. It seemed nearly impossible to find enough time to create the poetry and collage art that I wanted to make. It felt like I was just too busy, and I pushed my creative side to the side.
Everything changed when I encountered a situation that forced me to acknowledge my own mortality. As scary as it is to acknowledge that all we have is the present moment, it is also freeing. I decided that I was not going to waste my time doing things I wasn’t passionate about. Being a doctor would’ve been great, and it would’ve made a lot of people proud, but deep down, I knew I was in love with something else: poetry, philosophy, and art.
Realizing how short life really is pushed me to chase those things. I decided I had to commit myself more to my interests, and the first step toward that for me was to switch my major. Considering my lifelong love for poetry, novels, and writing, I felt that English classes would be the most engaging for me. Luckily, I was right. I joined the English major, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. When I chose to study English, I chose myself.
Joining the English major with a Creative Writing Concentration was a commitment to my craft as a poet and a writer. It meant I took myself seriously. It meant surrounding myself with like-minded creatives. It meant participating in workshops and indulging in the art of poetry and prose.
When we pursue subjects that excite us, we are more willing to put in extra work, we are more curious, we are more engaged in class, and we get more out of our education. You will likely see an improvement in your grades, too. The things you are passionate about will challenge you in ways that excite you, not in ways that fill you with dread. When we sign up for classes that spark our curiosity, we put ourselves in spaces with other people who have similar interests, which can lead to great connections, collaborations, and friendships. In fact, I forged meaningful friendships with some wonderful people in a feminist poetry class.
The professors at the English and Philosophy departments at Fordham have been both supportive and inspiring. It’s been wonderful to meet all sorts of passionate people who encourage and support me in writing my poetry and making art. Although not knowing what kind of job I would end up with after college has been stressful, it’s also opened a lot of doors for exploration. It’s also allowed me to learn so much about myself. So, if you’re thinking of changing your field of study to follow your passion, I urge you to do so.
Even after changing majors, my love for collage was still being neglected, however. Collage has been a huge part of my self-expression, and it is therapeutic for me. I also just genuinely really enjoy it. I decided that I would figure out ways to incorporate it into my life because it matters to me. Whenever a professor offered a creative option for a project, I made a collage. When I hosted wine night, I put out collage supplies. When I read a magazine, I cut stuff out and put it in my collage material box. When I saw pretty flowers at the park, I stole a petal and pressed it in my notebook for later. You get the idea. I made space for my creative practice by layering it with other things I was doing anyway. By carving out little spaces for my practice, I kept it alive without sacrificing other things. In fact, it enhanced the other things I was doing.
If you have a creative practice and you are having trouble finding time for it, consider how you can layer it onto other things you might be doing already. You’ll be surprised how many things you’re already doing can be made into spaces for your art. Don’t be afraid to get your friends or other people involved. So many people want to find time to be creative and will be grateful for the opportunity. Another important thing is to make creation accessible for yourself. The pressure to be original and incredible is sometimes crushing. If it feels that way, my advice is to re-write stories that have already been written, paint a painting you saw at the museum, or write a poem in the style of your favorite poet. One day, you’ll find a style that’s all your own, but first comes the learning, and the learning will weave its way into you in ways you might never have thought possible.
When you find time for your creative practice, talk about it with others. By including other people in your creative process, you open doors to new friendships and opportunities, which is all fuel for your passion. After all, “what you feed will grow”- Beth Pickens. The things we put effort, attention, love, and time into will grow and eventually develop into something more. One way we can feed our creative work is by doing some research and educating ourselves on how to set our lives up in a way that allows us to create. We need to be realistic and consider our responsibilities and finances. That said, I highly recommend you read Make Your Art No Matter What by Beth Pickens. Pickens works as a therapist to artists, which places her in the perfect position to give advice to people who struggle to create as much as they would like to.
Why is art so important? Pickens mentions that art can be a tool for healing, and it can help you feel more connected to yourself. She has worked with a variety of artists and gives great examples of ways to overcome roadblocks, like feeling like there’s not enough time, which she suggests can be overcome with different scheduling techniques. She highlights the importance of “a regular creative practice, taking in lots of art and experiences, and community.” The book is motivating and inspiring, and whether you consider yourself an artist or not, there’s a lot to learn from it. Pickens addresses finances, time management, and education options. She explores what the life of the artist can look like, whether it is making art a full-time job or pursuing it as a hobby.
If you’ve stopped creating and want to get back into it, I implore you to do so. There’s something so powerful in renewal and beginning again. That’s what I want you to understand. Starting again is where things change. Not always in the first thing you create or even the second, but something arises in the pattern of it. When you create on the regular, it becomes a part of you, something that exists within you whether you tell people or not. Indulge in what interests you, what moves you, and what excites you. Tomorrow is never promised. All we have is the present moment, and I urge you to spend it in a way that aligns with your passions and your art.
Don’t stop making.
Don’t stop making art that you hate;
painting paintings you promise yourself you’ll never show anyone,
penning poems that make you cringe.
Don’t stop writing fanfics that go ignored on tumblr,
or experimenting with makeup before you hop in the shower.
Don’t stop doodling in the margins of your notebooks,
or jotting down ideas for novels you doubt anyone would read.
Don’t stop styling outfits you don’t have the guts to wear,
or collecting magazine clippings and collaging.
Don’t stop making art with watercolor paint, even when your colorful brushstrokes
bleed into some indistinguishable blob,
because that making might one day turn out to be your backbone.
Your landline.
The place you pick up from.
The place you always go back to.
Don’t stop making. Your art is you, an externalization of your mind. If you keep making, pouring your emotions and curiosities into creative expression, you’ll become more than you’ve ever imagined.