Hi Friends!
It’s been a bit of time since I released a “Creative Journeys Interview,” but here we are again today with Rachel of the Substack blog Audhdpainter. I’ve been connecting with Rachel for about a year now, maybe more. I love watching her posts and her artworks, when she is able to share. I do hope you enjoy today’s written interview and just a few examples of her artworks. More importantly, sharing her works with you helps to emphasize the importance of creativity in our daily lives.
Early Creative Memories
When did you first discover you had a creative side?
I wasn’t seen as creative as a child, I was very scientific but I did privately doodle. I didn’t feel I could draw, though I did occasionally produce something I was quite pleased with, but I wouldn’t show anyone. I fully discovered my creativity once I had children and I wanted to show them it was good to try new things.
What role did creativity play in your upbringing?
I definitely had the urge to be creative and asked for various kits to try, but I had no one modeling creativity at all, so I tried a few things but without much encouragement.
Creativity and Emotional Well-being
How has the creative process supported you during difficult times?
Art is like a meditation practice for me. It is a way to let my feelings out and also to calm my mind. It is often the one thing I can do when I don’t have the energy or brainpower for reading or socialising or getting out. It is my bedfellow. I miss it so much if I can’t do some sort of art. I have adapted so I can even produce gouache painting in bed now using water brushes.
How do you feel emotionally after you create something?
My art gives me a sense of achievement which is invaluable when chronically ill. Emotionally I feel calm and happy when I create something.
Identity and Expression
In what ways does creativity help you understand or express yourself?
Creativity has had an enormous impact in helping me to understand myself. I process so much when painting, thoughts and feelings and some of my abstract art expresses a lot of that.
6. Have you ever created something that felt like a breakthrough?
Yes definitely, when I’ve depicted chronic illness symptoms and migraines it has helped me to understand it more and has helped me explain it to other people too.
The Practice of Creating
7. Do you have a regular creative practice?
Yes, my creative practice is to do some form of art almost everyday. With chronic illness and having to depend on my husband to support me physically and financially it can sometimes leave me feeling directionless. It can make my world small.
Art gives me purpose and meaning, so if I have a few days without art then a sense of unease starts to surface. Art helps me to regulate my emotions.
Obstacles to art are usually physical for me, so in the past few years I haven’t been able to sit for long, so painting in my art den has not been possible very often. I’ve had to find ways to make art in bed , so I’ve used pens more than usual and now water brushes that mean I can use gouache in bed or on my lounger in the garden which has really opened art back up for me!
Has creativity connected you with other people in a meaningful way?
When I was able to go to an art group, that was a lovely focus each week, and it was good to see what other people were doing and have a chat about it. Since I’ve not been able to do that, I have found Substack and that has brought me a while new world of connection through creativity! It has become such an important part of my day, posting my Almost Daily Art from bed/the garden and seeing what other people have posted and the interactions that come from these.
11. Do you enjoy collaborating with other artists?
I do enjoy collaborating creatively and I’ve very much enjoyed opportunities to do so through Substack. I have also been involved in a community mosaic for years, we are producing a massive wall mosaic which is slowly heading towards completion.
Reflection and insight
12. How has your creative process changed over time?
I have learnt to trust myself more and to feel ok about showing my art to other people, and to even call myself an artist. That took a long time. My art has changed through the necessity of shorter sessions and having to work with my legs up. It makes larger canvas work harder. I’m aiming to slowly get back to more of that because spending longer on bigger pieces is more satisfying generally, especially if I get to make a mess in the process!
Creativity and Art have taught me that no matter how rough I am feeling, it is always there for me. I am usually able to do some form of art, or if I can’t physically then I can think about what I can try when I’m able to. I can look at art, think about art and do art. It is always magical and if the one I’m doing isn’t pleasing then there is always the possibility of the next one. The process is so much of the enjoyment whether I like the results or not.
Final Thoughts
14. What would you say to someone who wants to be creative but doesn’t know where to start?
Start by really closely looking at things around you. Which shapes are you drawn to? What sort of art do you like the idea of having a go at? I find painting much more satisfying than drawing. Work out what appeals to you and have a go!
15. What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity is my conversation with the world. It is a way of making sense of what I see, think, feel and experience.
Thanks so much again to Rachel Hickman of Audhdpainter for not only sharing her artworks, but also her insights on the healing nature of the creative process. To support her work, please subscribe to her Substack, and please check out her Redbubble shop - the link is HERE.
What’s on the horizon here at the Sketchbook Diaries? As we head into the fall, be on the lookout for continuing creative conversations with past interviewees, more thoughts on yoga, meditation and NOW stuff, and also live streams of shape painting in my Florida studio. Thank you as always for reading all the way to the end. I appreciate you all very much. Ciao for now!
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