‘To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong’ – Joseph Chilton Pearce
Living a creative life often involves living without a fear of being wrong. You don’t have to create to be creative, but you do have to live with an open mind.
Have you got one of those friends who always tells you exactly what they think? You know the type: ‘You’re going to live WHERE?’ or ‘Why would you travel THERE?’. They’re also the type who’ll let you know exactly what they think about your new piece of art. ‘Oh. My three year old could’ve drawn THAT!’
Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Your taste is not wrong. Your creativity is not wrong. Don’t let anyone stifle your creative spirit.
If you love the weird and wonderful and you have an open mind, these creative art ideas will delight, challenge and intrigue – like any good art will. Let’s get creative now.
Cultural Creativity
Globalisation, even in its earliest roots, saw art from a variety of different cultures spread far and wide. Like food, art is one of those experiences that unites us rather than divides us. It’s something we can relate to, appreciate and love.
Aboriginal dot paintings are now internationally recognised and it’s a style that is much loved here in Australia and overseas. Indian and Japanese art feature in museums all around the world and, luckily for us everyday folk, we can now afford to decorate using art inspired by these different global regions.
Setting aside culture and ethnicity for a while, sub-cultures also permeate our lives. Below we feature retro and urban – both art styles are now part of sub-cultures all their own. Retro is full of nostalgia for the recent past. Urban is all about big city life – its charm and its struggles. Many embrace these sub-cultures, expressing them in their interior design, art, fashion and even hair styles.
1. Dot Painting
MUCH LOVED: Get creative with earth and sea tones ‘At The Billabong’
2. Indian
WORSHIP: Invite wealth, fortune and prosperity into your home with Hindu ‘Indian Goddess Maa Lakshi’.
3. Japanese
CHARM: Add a super sized ‘Pink Blossom Geisha’ print to a black, white and pink decor for an elegant lift.
4. Retro
ALL THAT: Ask yourself the important questions of the day – ‘Yellow Or Spots?’ – a retro fashion fiesta of a print.
5. Urban
GET THE EDGE: ‘Graffiti Girl’ is a creative way to get that urban cool with one single piece of art.
Creative Art Techniques
Thanks to the talent of artists who thrive in thinking outside the box and thanks to the modern technology that has brought us digital canvas creation, we can enjoy a variety of art techniques printed as wall art and relish them in our own homes.
Whether it’s the harmonious soft wash of watercolour, the exciting repetition of pattern art or the fierce intensity of wildlife photography, each art technique brings something different to our walls.
In fact, it’s even OK to mix up these techniques featuring a different look in each different room in the house. In contemporary interior design, each room is allowed a personality of its own. Creativity and diversity is welcomed not shunned. And thank goodness!
6. Watercolour
RELAX: Create a room where you can truly chill out using this ‘At One’ watercolour print for inspiration.
7. Pattern
BLISS BOMB: This pattern art piece ‘Peaceful Pebbles’ brings colour and fun to a neutral decor.
8. Photography
FIERCE: Get wild in the bedroom with this photographic art piece ‘Bengal Tiger’.
Creative Styles
It doesn’t matter if you know the ins and outs of the different art styles or whether it’s all a different language, the key to embracing creative art is embracing miscellany.
Keeping an open mind is so important. If you declare “I don’t like abstract art” you may in fact be missing pieces from that collection that may very well transform a room in your home from mundane to magical.
It’s not about forcing a style down your own throat, it’s more about avoiding lumping one work you may not like and tarnishing the entire style with the same brush.
If these surrealist, modern, abstract, contemporary and impressionist prints below aren’t your cup of tea, that doesn’t mean to say that style isn’t for you.
Living a creative life is about digging around in all the different corners of the art world to discover what you desire. The perfect piece is not going to accidentally arrive on your doorstep. The good news is that finding the right work of art for you is the most fun digging you’ll ever do!
9. Surrealism
DRIVE: There’s so better spot for surreal art like this ‘Motivation’ print than a place you’re most creative.
10. Modern
UNWIND: Lose all inhibitions with this ‘Girl In The Rain’ print, perfect for the room where you escape.
11. Abstract
OPEN YOUR MIND: The green in this abstract print ‘The Crushed Sea’ adds style to its matching green decor.
12. Contemporary
MARINE BLISS: This contemporary ‘Shoal’ print is the epitome of creative, with the reef as its inspiration.
13. Impressionist
RUN AWAY: Sail off to a distant land with this impressionist ‘Sail Boat Seascape’ print.
