I've been using creative affirmations since I did the Artist's Way, and have found them very useful to build creative and overall confidence in myself, build positive habits and mindset, make art decisions, get creating, stay true to myself, remind myself of what I really want, my values, and ability to reach my goals.
I suppose I've become a big believer overall that if you want to achieve any goals, or "level up", it's important to nurture your mind and to get over any mental road blocks too. And I believe techniques like affirmations, as well as other methods like visualisation, can really help in any field.
Even though affirmations might sound a little woo-woo they are simply positive phrases that are said as "truths" to yourself which can help to encourage and inspire you to keep moving forward. In practise they're extremely simple, yet can be impactful.
I encourage you to try writing you own affirmations, perhaps you could aim for just 5 or 10 sentences, or you could choose them from the list below, and aim to read them, or say them out loud to yourself, every day for a week, or once a week for a few months. I'm sure they will have a positive effect.
Affirmations for creativity and art
- I am a creative
- Creativity is good
- I create for the love of creativity
- I am committed to exploring my creativity
- My artistic vision and style is meaningful and truthful
- I don't let others define the worth or value of my art
- It's okay to me if others like or don't like my art
- Good things will come if I create and stay true to myself
- My creativity adds value to the world
- I have the creativity and determination to overcome every challenge
- I am strong, courageous and confident
- My unique ideas and the way I see the world is what makes my work original and interesting
- My art and creative business goals are a reality that can be achieved by me
- I don't compete with other artists', I stay focused on my own art, goals and progress
- I stay true to my own ideas and intuition because I believe in myself
- My creative projects are a reflection of what I am truly passionate about
- I am open to the universe's creativity
Affirmations for mindset and habits (also very much help with creativity)
- I release the need for immediate results
- I release the need for external validation, approval and admiration
- I embrace the journey
- I embrace slow progress to build strong foundations
- I give myself the time and space to grow and learn
- I take calculated risks to get to my goals
- I am strong, courageous and confident
- I am a patient and intentional person
- My mind is clear, my focus sharp and my actions purposeful
- My potential is limitless
- I am open to new ideas and change
- Everyday I take a step towards my goals, however small that step might be
- Patience is a gift I give myself
How have affirmations helped me?
For instance, recently I wanted to start hosting my own art events but I needed a venue to host them at. I used affirmations before I would enter meetings with venue owner, I would say to myself things like "creativity is good", which helped encourage me to feel confident in pitching the art events and to remind myself that what I was doing was important and valuable.
Another example of how I use affirmations is to change habits. I am trying to become a more patient person, be slower and more intentional with my art, and not rush projects or getting impatient with results. By telling myself I am patient and that it's worth slowing down has helped me a lot.
If you’ve ever felt creatively stuck, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s talk about the messy process of making things.
Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram :)
Looking for more creative inspiration?
For more tips and thoughts on creativity, check out these blogs
The Artist’s Way: An Honest Review (From Someone Who Didn’t Quite Know What They’d Signed Up For)
How Scrapbooking (Glubeooking) Can Spark Ideas and Beat Creative Block