Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to The Phantomat. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
The, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
To live with one foot in the imaginary world and with one in common reality requires commitment and constant re-calibration of my values, resisting the pervasive narrative that equates happiness with wealth.
There is the intention that what appears on my canvas should surprise me, that the process should flow and I am in the zone. But how to get there? Surely not by willpower. In the same way a good nights’ sleep stems from how we lived the day, creativity begins long before the act of painting.
While time is essential for most, a select few, like myself, thrive under pressure. In order to enjoy so many hours in the studio I need to feed my needs like being a social butterfly, seeing new things to recharge my memory of visuals and challenge my brain with books.
In order to have a free mind I need to have processed intense emotions like being angry at my insurance for which I use tools learned in Psychotherapy after C.G. Jung. And sometimes it’s just going boxing.
In the studio I need to get into a state of altered consciousness which is feeling questions like ‘What are we doing on this planet?’ or ‘Why am I not a cat?’. And that’s when the images start flooding in.
However, creativity can falter when I become fixated on the outcome. If I produce something for an exhibition that really matters I try to forget everything and just do. Sometimes I start a work really fast and intentionally mess up so that I can paint over it with no other expectation than it going to the bin.
Another time that stifled my creativity was when I could draw a straight line without a ruler. I was lacking challenge, risks – I have to be in the adventurer zone. So I started to draw while performing in public.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a professional artist with two decades of exhibition practice. I have abstract paintings but also figurative sketches in outsider-art style. You are always welcome to visit my studio in East London and remember that especially older works that have been exhibited before are a lot cheaper than you think.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Accountability groups and finding coaching buddies always helped to get me going. But I just stayed in the arts because I knew why I wanted to do it. Crucial is to know what inspires you and how you can keep that source alive. To see art as a practice that gives to me, that helps me make sense of life is more important than the publicity and rewards. The experience of having a job for a few years and more money than I needed but dying inside of meaninglessness was important on my journey and I would recommend that to anyone before starting an art career.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
This year, I am trying to play the long game. Last year I had 13 exhibitions and that’s not sustainable. I am trying to focus on building relationships rather than exhibiting in places with names. It has been a challenge to change habits but even if I had no idea how this was going to work out – it does!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ThePhantomat.com
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