Are you struggling with identifying your painting style? (Part 1)

I often get questions from new creatives who feel frustrated because they have not discovered their own artistic style yet (but they wish to).

These artists have not truly discovered their personal preferences and they feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the range of different styles they like to try and they feel they have an admiration to various styles that are very different in nature. So on one end they get a unique enjoyment out of each style, but on the other hand they feel they want to settle on their "own" one style. Yet they feel torn and confused how to get clarity on what they love most and this leads to their struggle to committing to o specific style.

Can you relate?  I think at some point all artists do… whether the struggle was in the past or right now.

I know I've been there too…

It's normal. We're human, and decision making among multiple choices in life is one of the things we consume most our mental energy on through our entire lives. It’s not just about art making. Think about it, every day whether we are aware of it or not, we are making decisions… small or large. And decision making can consume us. We struggle, because we don't wan to make a bad choice and be stuck with it. We struggle, because we don't exactly know what we want.  And if we happen to care about others’ opinions too much, we also struggle during decision making because we don't really know how others may judge. And this goes on and on.  And we struggle even more, the more options are out there. In a time of such abundance and so many choices, we find it harder to find out what our priority really should be.

And if we don't have a clear emotional and mental guidance system to make decisions easier, life can get hard. And the more frustrated we are, the more difficult it becomes to make decisions as now we also feel more pressure on ourselves and feel we're not good enough, or we're not on time, we're too late, or not productive enough…

So it's not just about art. It's about everything in life. It's normal. But back to art now… 

The problem with decision making about many things in life is that "thinking" is often not the solution. And worrying (= thinking) is also not a good approach to get clarity.  Sometimes we just need to allow ourselves time to keep doing something or trying a couple things to figure it out.

But there is a difference between being all over the place with no idea what we're doing or why we're doing it,  versus trying (doing) things with a more focused intent, and… with patience.

And then there are all the daily distractions. Constant daily posts of beautiful artwork (by other artists) on social media should help getting inspiration for the style you're meant to pursue, right? Well, not always…often that can actually add to the overwhelm of missing out on certain styles. (i.e. you want to focus on your watercolor, but then these awesome paintings with a pouring technique pop up. Or you think you really love your acrylic abstract, but there was this amazing alcohol ink painting on instagram today that you want to try now).

We are living in a time of too many options, too many opinions, and too many distractions (too much daily input).  And to create something you really love (and keep creating it), the only way is to limit the external distraction to a certain extend and make it a priority to create a bubble of focus for what you do. We need a balance between taking external input vs focused attention on our own creativity.  A balance between taking inspiration from others but yet allowing your own personal voice or instinct to come through our art. And once you find your style or your creative direction,  it does not mean that you cannot continue to explore or change things. In fact you can (and should) continue to explore things to 'evolve' your style - whether it is adding some interesting fun new techniques into the mix, creating some new signature brush strokes of yours, switching up the mood with very different color palettes... and so much more. We all want to keep changing and stay excited on our creative journey.

Of course, if you're happy to switch between very different styles frequently because that is indeed your goal right now, that is absolutely fine and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you're happy - enjoy your creative variety! But if you rather feel you have tried a lot, but want to establish a little more direction and focus, I will share some tips for you in my next post.

• Lin Powell
  July 19, 2019

  
  What a great article. I look forward to Part 2. You’ve given me lots to think about.
  

  • Deniz Altug
    July 19, 2019
    
    Thanks Lin for your feedback and for being here!
    

• Sheree' McClure
  July 19, 2019
  
  I feel like I have been in limbo for awhile now, trying to find my style. I read not long ago that to define your own style, one must paint frequently. However, I haven’t found this to be true.
  I look forward to Part 2 in hopes for more clarity. Surely that “light bulb moment” will arrive sooner than later.

  • Deniz Altug
    July 21, 2019
    
    I would say, painting a lot IS required.. however I feel there needs to be some more deeper focus and more intent behind it… But also, remember, the time can be very different for everyone. Talk soon 

• Robyn Green
  July 19, 2019
  
  Thank you Deniz..Sometimes it’s good to hear reinforcement!
  The more we try the more we learn. You are right…there is SO much out there to inspire..we just have to let ourselves explore and grow. Why settle anyway?
  Your work is an inspiration and it is that sense of freedom you portray that I’m trying to achieve.Many thanks and I look forward to your next article.
  

  • Deniz Altug
    July 21, 2019
    
    Thanks Robyn for your comments! Yes there can be a lot of variety and evolution even when one does follow their own style. A lot of new things we like (or discover) can gently be incorporated as we evolve… without losing the personality in our own style. 

• Tanya Taggart
  July 20, 2019
  
  Thanks Deniz, it is great to hear that I am not alone in feeling a little overwhelmed sometimes with so many new techniques to try.
  

  • Deniz Altug
    July 21, 2019
    
    Thanks for the feedback Tanya, you’re absolutely not alone…
    

• Lydia
  July 22, 2019
  
  Ok… I’m starting to think that you enter and search my brain everytime you’re thinking about writing a new article. I surely can relate to most of your blog post and it does help. Recently, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with the variety of techniques and styles that I see everywhere. I have the feeling that the part 2 of your article might be just what I need… Looking forward to it!
  

  • Deniz Altug
    July 22, 2019
    
    That’s so sweet of you Lydia! I’m so very glad my posts come in timely.
    Thanks for the feedback and talk soon 

• DAGMAR HANSEN
  July 26, 2019
  
  Thank you so much Deniz.i like to hear from you .Love from Norway
  

  • Deniz Altug
    July 28, 2019
    
    Thanks for being here Dagmar!
    

• Aruna Chagarlamudi
  July 28, 2019
  
  Thanks Deniz, it is so overwhelming ..with so many techniques to try ..it is easy get lost and loose focus on what You want to do.
  

  • Deniz Altug
    July 28, 2019
    
    I hear you Aruna! Check out my most recent post for some tips and see if those resonate with you.
    

• Patricia howell
  November 8, 2019
  
  Thank you for accepting me on your course..I have just looked at the course and I am absolutely amazed at the way you have structured it .easy to follow and understand and so many bonuses .I do want to thank you for your generousity Deniz and am ready to dive in .I think a lot of on line courses can take leaf out of your book ..NOW I am ready to dive in ,very stimulated already
  Patricia
  

  • Deniz Altug
    November 9, 2019
    
    I so appreciate your lovely feedback Patricia!! Thank YOU for letting me be a part in your experience! Have a lot of fun in the course 

• Sherry Leggett
  December 30, 2019
  
  I have admired your work online for such a long time and was thrilled to hear you were offering a course. I just spent 9 hours in a row to get the the finished first painting. it is 11pm now so I will need to finish it tomorrow. I hadn’t see yiur blog before and what is the first issue to get my attention? “are you struggling with focusing?” Now I have another method to try and I have one more choice to struggle with. Maybe the second instalment will help.lol.
  I am thrilled with your course so far. I can’t wait to get out my paints and try some of your techniques. Thank you so much for all your work putting this very comprehensive course together. It is a work of Art in itself.
  

  • Deniz Altug
    January 7, 2020
    
    Sherry – that’s so very kind of you. I’m super happy that you’ve enjoyed the course!!…In the end it’s ok to try multiple methods on our creative journey (most of us did, or still do – as we love to try and learn things, and be inspired by various styles, right?). So then the idea is that through focused practice in the studio a style of your own will eventually emerge from wether you fuse multiple styles (or various aspects from multiple styles) into your own, or lean more toward mastering one style. And this happens over time though lots of practice. And it’s important to remember that one’s style can (and often will) change over time. So we are never really stuck with one style in the long run.