be wild

Sark says "Whatever takes us out of our routine and gives us a little interior spark is wild."

Being wild is not the same as being out of control. Being wild is to risk stepping away from what is safe -- and all art takes a bit of wildness.

Many struggling artists, especially those who discover their art later in life, experience criticism, or worse, ridicule, from friends and family for wanting to write or paint or create. Maybe your worst critic is inside your own head! Taking the risk to put your work out in front of others who may criticise it is scary! In order to overcome this fear and have the courage to create - I advocate a little wildness.

What is wild? It is wearing a hat (if you don't usually wear hats that is!), it is buying that florescent silk scarf to wear with the fuchsia skirt. It is painting your toenails winter even though no one will know it but you. The point of wildness is that it helps us feel special. These are small steps that we can take to reinvest value in ourselves!

Artists are, by nature, revolutionaries. You must be a renegade to ignore the nay-sayers around you, to risk criticism and failure, to believe that bright orange and bright purple are fabulous together!

If you are feeling creatively "stuck" -- take action! Cultivate friendships with other wild people -- the people that make you feel just a little more alive and valuable when you are near them.

What is wild for you depends on your life. When I was a teenager, I wore a mohawk haircut. At that time, it didn't seem so extreme! Today, cutting my hair to my shoulders took extreme bravery. If you are someone that doesn't like change, wild may just be a small change in what you already have. Painting your bedroom, spring cleaning, rearranging the furniture.

Being "wild" takes you out of the norm. It helps you see your life, and your art, in a different light. When you feel good it is easier to have the strength to create. Yes, there are some artists that thrive on misery or use their art to pull them out of the depths. Each of us must find our own way to our art.

Next time you are feeling dry and uninspired -- try wild!

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