Practicing Joy In The Creative Process
By: Joanna Swenson
After graduating from Hillsdale in 2020, I felt alone yet hopeful. My plan was to move back to my hometown, do marketing for my family’s brick and mortar retail store that’s all about home, and continue to pursue art in my free time. Who knows, maybe I would quit marketing and go full-time with my art. Despite the skills honed and time dedicated in the studio in college, I found myself standing at the easel in my studio corner, staring blankly at canvases, and feeling alone and discouraged. Sometimes I would avoid my studio all together, making excuses that art wasn’t as important as my other job… and what was the point of me painting anyway, I was never going to be a master watercolorist.
Rare seasons came when I found joy at the easel and a sense of belonging in the studio—a successful painting, more consistent habits, and some grit were all ingredients in this success—but other seasons would come in which I’d feel my easel crossing its arms and imposing guilt upon me as I walked past month after month. A pivotal moment came last fall during a long break from the studio (sometimes taking a step back is helpful!) to plan my wedding in a short amount of time. During this season, and with the help of a friend who shared her own experience, I realized I wasn’t using my talents of creating art. This was both immensely encouraging— “yay, I do have talent!”—and convicting—“God has given me an eye to see beauty and hands to participate, and I turn the other way”.
So I will continue to grapple with my calling as an artist through each unique season, pressing on to practice joy and uncover beauty in the creative process. Here are a few avenues toward finding simple joys as an artist, but I believe these carry beyond to many other aspirations & vocations.
Fill the well.
One cannot create beauty without a reservoir in which to draw from. What gives you life and brings you joy? Some of my favorites are tending to my indoor plants, going on quiet walks after dinner, hosting a book club, making a fun new dinner, and seeing a friend. What fills your well?
Consider a media cleanse.
This is crucial, in my opinion. A couple of years ago I read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and went on a media cleanse - no tv, no scrolling on my phone, etc., for 30 days. As my husband said after completing the cleanse, “avoiding media enables you to think in a straight line.” I find it to be true. And doesn’t it sound like a refreshing change in a world that often feels like a wild frenzy of information? Especially as an artist, it is easier to compare yourself to other artists or place your work’s value on the public eye rather than allowing yourself to sit quietly in the studio, confronting yourself and the world around you. However, I believe that is exactly what our calling is as artists.
Observe the beauty around you and use it as a means of worshipping God.
There is a world filled with beauty! Don’t let your observation be merely on the surface level; instead, let Beauty pull you outside of yourself.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
It is a lovely thing to realize that when we look outside of ourselves and dwell on God’s beauty, we still see ourselves, but as his and as a part of his creation. There is great joy to be found in resting in this truth.
Invite others into the process.
We are not meant to create alone. This is something I still struggle with, but if my book club has taught me anything, inviting others into something you love can bring so much joy & encouragement. One practical way I’ve been doing this in my creative process is having a monthly creative check-in with my siblings. Though we all create using various mediums and to varied extents, this has been a sweet way to share in the creative process with others.
Begin again and again....
Possibly the hardest one of all, but most important in the process of seeking joy & beauty in the creative process. As seasons change, we are called to begin again and again - fill our creative well with life-giving practices, confront ourselves and the world around us even when we’d rather look away, seek beauty in creation when our eyes feel dull, invite others into the process, and begin again and again.
“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
Joanna Swenson | ‘20
Hello! I currently reside near Cincinnati, OH and am recently married to a fellow Hillsdale grad after 4 years of long-distance. I manage my family’s brick & mortar store, continue to dabble in art since college, and love all things home - interior design, flower arranging, hospitality, you name it! On an average weeknight you can find me under a blanket reading a book for bookclub with a cup of tea in hand or taking a quiet walk when spring comes again.
