I talk about having a vision as an artist a lot. I thought it was time to explain this a bit more clearly. I don't mean the kind of vision that paints a picture in your mind of where you want to take your art in the future, what you want to achieve, which successes you would like to have etc. This might be an important type of vision, but this is not the kind of vision I mean
What I mean, when I am talking about a vision, is the filter through which you see the world. This filter is most of the time very undeliberately formed through who you are and have always been, what you were born with, the circumstances of your life, the experiences you had, your personality and much more. When you think you don't have a vision, it merely means that you have not become conscious of it yet, but yes....you do have a vision and as we are all uniquely made and then formed by life itself, we develop unique visions of the world.
Your vision is really all about you. This sounds so incredibly obvious, but so often we are influenced by what we see others do. We admire their art and want to achieve the same thing. This however will never lead to authentic and fulfilling creating. So many times we think others have something we don't have and we want to have that. It is true that others have things that you don't have, because they too have unique ways of seeing the world. Even though their style speaks to you, because there are similarities in how you perceive things and you can use your admiration of the images from others to dive deeper into the why's behind you liking that so much, your vision is just as valuable. You might not have yet found a way of getting your images to match your vision and this might take some time, but relying on your own vision is key.
It is all about successfully shutting out other people's visions and having the confidence to rely on your own. You can learn how to use your vision, how to express it in your art, but always feel confident that your vision is worthy and that you can rely on it to steer you into the right direction.
First find out what your vision is, how you perceive the world, what lies behind your life's passions, the why's behind your likes and dislikes. Try to put it into words (writing really is very important to start to make sense of these things, I can not emphasise this enough). Dig deep and start connecting the dots. I promise you that everyone has a vision, but it can't be found on the surface, it is hidden in the why's behind your passions and preferences.
Expressing that vision becomes easier once you have been able to put it into words. You can then use story telling elements, as I call them, to help express this vision into visuals in a way that communicates this to the viewer. I believe that if you know your vision, if you are deeply connected to it, all the things you create will express this. No matter if you paint, photograph, sculpt, sew, design interiors or fashion, play music...this vision will be almost tangible. This is why for example the sculptures and paintings of Paul Gaugain are so very unmistakably his work. This is why you can recognise Van Gogh's work in both his portraits and landscape paintings. It is in every stroke of his brush...A vision does not rely on the tools of your trade, nor on the most expensive tools, the most priceless tool will always be you. Your style will become apparent in the way you use your tools, the choices you make when composing an image, your taste in editing and colours. Every little element and detail can then help your express your vision.
Working from your own authentic vision is so crucially important for artists. If you try to emulate the work of others, you will not express one vision, but many and what's worse....the visions of others. Have confidence that your vision matters and can be expressed beautifully in your own way once you know what the vision is and how to express this in your work.
My vision can be found in everything I like....I look for stillness in the most magical side of reality. My style is one that is slightly nostalgic, romantic even and storybook-like. It is who I am, more deeply than I could ever express in a conversation. I am most myself in what I create, this is where the truest version of me resides. It seeps through in my images, those that I edit in Photoshop as well as in those that come straight from my iPhone as the picture below shows. It could be find in the reasons why I collected minerals and crystals as a child and in my passion for storybooks, for fog and forests, for mushrooms and fossils etc. etc. It has always been there, it determines the way I see reality.
PS If you have a Pinterest account, look at your boards (they can be set to secret , so you don't have to share them with others if you don't want to), because these can be so revealing in what you like and the connections between all those likes. I find it to be the most obvious collection of what my vision is made up of.
PS 2: Sign Ups for my class about creating from your own vision are opening really soon. Join my mailing list to be the first to know when enrolment begins. I am so excited to help you express yourself through your art, I can hardly wait...