Creating from the heart

Creating from the heart is very important to me, and in fact it’s one of my core values.

Creating from the heart is an attitude, a process, and also an aspiration. It encompasses many things, but it stems from being authentic, true to yourself.

From the moment we are born, our surroundings affect us. Our upbringing, education, places we live and travel to, people we meet, books we read, movies we see…it all pours into us, shapes us and makes us who we are. We’re all connected and we’re all part of the same humanity, but we all have our own individual experience, and see reality from our own perspective.
It’s only when we are brave enough to look within, and explore our story, our values, our vision of the world, that we can find our artistic voice. It’s our unique point of view that allows us to stand out and express who we really are. After all, the act of creating is an act of self-expression.

When I explore Instagram, the galleries that always catch my eye and make me stop and look closer, are the ones that show a glimpse of the artist’s personality – their voice. When this happens, it becomes easy to recognise a style. I can always tell, for example, when an image that pops up in my feed is by Sarah, Georgianna, Kim, Philippa, Mai,  Yukiko…just to name a few artists whose work I admire. As you can see if you check out their galleries, flowers and still life scenes are a common feature for all these talented ladies, but their style, their artistic voice, is totally their own.

In my  mentoring sessions I don’t teach how to recreate exactly what I do – what would be the point of that? My images tell my story with my voice, and I want each of my students to find their own. Why be a copy, when you can be an original?

I want them to look within, find their own story, and share their vision of the world with their own unique voice.
Creating is not just a matter of seeing something that works, be it a certain style or composition, and replicate it. Without looking within, and getting at the heart of who you are, and what your story is, you’re just someone who does what everyone else is doing…all your beautiful potential remains untapped, and the world is a little less bright because you didn’t shine your light…

It took me a long time to figure this out, mostly because for a long time I looked outside for inspiration, afraid that what was within wasn’t enough. It’s only when I started exploring, and trusting my Self that my story started to unravel, and my voice to develop.

Creating from the heart starts with being authentic, but the process doesn’t end there. It’s also important to focus on the act of creating, and not on the end result. It’s about experimenting, enjoying the moment, going with the flow, and being open to what might happen…allowing yourself to make mistakes, and embracing imperfection. Being a “recovering perfectionist”, this is something I need to remind myself on a daily basis ;)

Creating from the heart requires courage: the courage to show your Self, to keep doing the work, and also the courage to try something new, and let your work evolve. When I started creating images using dark backdrops, I really enjoyed myself but I was reluctant to keep exploring low-key photography, and to share my “dark & moody” images on Instagram. I was afraid that, being so different from my usual bright and airy photographs, people wouldn’t like them as much… But then I realised that I was placing too much importance on what was outside of me, and I was letting other people’s opinion stop me from creating…and so I followed my heart, and decided to keep creating and sharing those moody images anyway.

Creating from the heart means walking your own path, regardless of what others are doing. Forget about what’s “trendy” and popular! If it doesn’t reflect who you are, it’s just a waste of time. Instead, turn down the “noise”, tune in, be present, and listen to what wants to be created.

You won’t regret it, I promise.