Alison's Blog

5 Ways to drop the struggle from finding your unique VOICE.

5 Ways to drop the struggle from finding your unique VOICE.

Thursday April 12, 2012

It’s the question I get asked most often, and always with much anxiety and angst: 

How do I find my own unique voice?
No need to search, your unique voice is present and waiting to be heard.

Michelangelo is credited with saying that he sculpted David from a single piece of marble, chipping away all that was NOT David until David emerged, set free from the stone.

So here is a simple strategy plan to get you chipping away.


Think like Mother Nature.
It’s hard to recognize that your own style has started to emerge. 
Work with a professional your trust to tell you what he or she sees in common with different examples of your work. Write it down. Don’t make any judgements. Use the info as insights to your uncovering process. When I first started art directing fashion shoots, I was told that my work was “clean” and “classic”. I would have preferred hearing “edgy” and  “trendy”, but I stopped fretting and eventually got known and hired by clients looking for exactly my style, clean and classic.

Fall in Love.
Find an artist who style you love.
Look outside of your field. Study the common threads in every piece of that artist's work. I was proud of myself in knowing I could open any magazine and, without looking at the cover, could name the publication. I was tuned into the nuances of typography and studied how how the magazine revealed itself no matter what page it was thumbed to. "Seeing" what's not obvious, but contributes to the unique voice overall, is a skill worth studying.

EDIT!
To make your voice stronger you edit.
When putting together your portfolio, either online or in hard copy, you need to edit. 
And then edit again. 
Even if you are in love with a piece, if it doesn’t make your “voice” stronger, don’t show it. Five strong pieces carry a lot more weight then 10 that are not coherent.  

Patience Please.
A tricky skill in this day and age.
Everything we do today is "so 20 seconds ago." 
Immediate results is the norm. So treat your emerging voice like you would signing up for a new class at the gym. Change takes time and consistency, and like any muscle, the more you work it the stronger and more refined it becomes.

Deep Breath. 
You are perfect where you are. 
You can’t rush a good soup or a marinade. 
Give yourself the time to let all the ingredients blend and blossom, and remember Michelangelo's David as you too chip away.




Reader Comments

voice

From: Roxy Lentz, 05/21/12 03:24 AM

Maybe you could have a class about how NOT to be Vincent van Gogh. What could be worse than to have his talent, but no one sees it until you are dead and gone.

finding your voice

From: Roxy Lentz, 05/21/12 03:16 AM

My problem is I know my voice very well, what I don't know is how to tune it so it will sell to others. I make jewelry from recycled metal, and I love the European style. I sell in galleries, and at area art shows, but I want to make the kind of jewelry that can be in a gallery like Velvet da Vinci, and for various reasons, I know I am not there yet. I have been able to take a few classes from metalsmiths, but they are in other states,or Italy. I have tried to find a mentor who makes this type of jewelry, but they are too busy. Like Susan Boyle, something is right, but something needs to be fixed to be successful. If Susan Boyle never had anyone help her, she would still be singing at her church, and not for the world.

for a bit of an example of what I do, www.quattra4.weebly.com
Roxy Lentz

From: Catherine, 04/13/12 07:12 PM

I particularly like the point about patience. I have so much patience with other people and almost zero with myself. I think your list is really concise and helpful. (You know I almost wrote I think your "lust" is concise and helpful, rather than "list". I think that's quite an apt freudian slip. I thank you for your lusty pursuit of the creative voice)

From: Katie Hanrahan, 04/13/12 03:26 PM

Another great post, Alison! This one I'm saving to read over and over when I have those moments of frustration over finding my 'voice' or knowing what direction to go in. Thanks!

Finding your voice...

From: Nancy Pattereson, 04/13/12 11:28 AM

I would like to add one to your list....Listen to Your Muse. I teach adults how to paint, and I can't tell you how many times people will not want to try anything new because they sold one painting that was, say a still life..so they feel that they HAVE to stick to still lives forever! Not true...follow your heart, your muse...if you are into watercolors, and you think, "Gee, I would love to try oils"...you don't have to be a master in watercolor before you try the oils. Go for it!! All of it helps round you out as an artist. Oils may help you determine value, or color mixing that will help in your watercolors. Recently, I have found my muse calling me to song...and I have picked up music to add to my repetoire of cultural things. I find that it helps me get into the zone...I can pick up the fiddle and play a song during lunch, or before bed...and it gets my mind into creative thinking. It has also taught me patience...so I'm more patient with myself when I am painting. So...as you edit, you should also expand...your heart will tell you where to go...if you listen!! Thanks for the great subject!


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