Rae Dunn - In Pursuit of Inspiration: Trust Your Instincts and Make More Art

I dedicate this book to my mom. She always encouraged me to explore my creativity, which made me believe that everything was possible. Soon, the whole world became my hobby shop.

Copyright 2019 by Rae Dunn.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452169040 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dunn, Rae, author.
Title: In pursuit of inspiration : trust your instincts and make more art / by Rae Dunn.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2019]
Identifiers: LCCN 2018031542 | ISBN 9781452168852 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: DrawingProblems, exercises.
Classification: LCC NC735 .D86 2019 | DDC 741.2dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018031542

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YOU ARE AN ARTIST.

I was born the fourth of five. It went: girl. girl. girl. me. boy. It was no secret that my parents were hoping that I would be a boy, but such was fate, both theirs and mine. Trying to compete for attention with three older sisters and a prized baby boy proved beyond impossible, and I gave up trying early on. I believe it was this birth order that shaped my personality: painfully shy, an introvert, and always in my own little world. I felt unseen and unheard.

But, I was encouraged to be creative from the very start. A big part of our life was centered around music and art and I feel fortunate that I was able to tap into my creativity at such a young age. I could hide behind it, lose myself in it, and not have to talk or be out in the real world. Art was the channel that connected me to the world and to myself.

Along with having us start piano lessons at age four, our mother took us on weekly trips to the local hobby shop. There, we were allowed to choose any project to pursue. I remember being enchanted and overwhelmed by the rows and rows of endless possibilities. Paint-by-numbers sets (I can still smell the little squares of oil paints), model airplanes, paper dolls, macram, hook rugs, Shrinky Dinks, an Easy-Bake Oven, and the list went on. I would easily lose myself in a project for hours on end.

We are all born artists.

Children need no artistic instruction. When you put a crayon in a two-year-olds hand, they instinctively begin to draw. There is no hesitation, no inhibition, no resistance. They dont say I dont know how to draw, I dont know what to draw. Two-year-olds are my role modelsthey dont compare and they dont critique what they create. They are happy and proud of their art. They simply and fearlessly draw with abandon, enthusiasm, and pure joy.

I count myself lucky that I managed to hold on to this kind of joy while navigating my way into adulthood on my own terms. I think an art education can be beneficial for many, but I chose a different path. I didnt go to art school and have never had a drawing or painting class. I believe that because I was truly uninformed it allowed me to make and break my own rules. There was no right way and there was no wrong way. Because I loathe following rules, I instead followed my intuition. It was imagination, experimentation, and curiosity that paved my way.

As we grow older, parts of our innate creativity fade. We develop inhibitions and become guarded; for some, it is out of humiliation or fear, for others, it might be about comparing ourselves to a fictitious standard and not living up to expectations. We often listen to, and believe, negative feedback, and this only widens the gap between our inner artist and our adult persona.

I think there is a way to get back in touch with our authentic two-year-old inner artist, and its easier than you think. Because we were born with a creative instinct, the connections to our creative roots are always accessible. We all have the ability to bring more art and creativity into our lives. Whether you were the fourth-born or the firstborn, whether you have never been to a museum or you go every week, we all just need a place to start.

Draw from the inside out, from an emotion or a feeling.

Draw what you are drawn to.

Draw like nobody will ever see what you drew.

Draw every day.

There is no right or wrong way to draw. There are no rules in art. Im not even giving you rules in this book. Im merely showing you some of the things that work for me, to make my art practice fulfilling. The more you draw, the more confidence you will have. Soon, drawing will come as naturally and authentically as it did when you were two. I find that the quicker I draw, the better the results. Dont overthink and dont hesitate. I am opening up my sketchbooks and sharing some of the things that I do to seek inspiration. Perhaps this will help you find somewhere to begin...

It is entirely possible to see beauty in things that might often be considered flawed. Sometimes that means honing in on the smallest detail to find its beauty: the dotted skin of a rotten banana, an oxidized washer, a faded piece of fabric. Sometimes we just need to look closely and observe with intentional curiosity to discover the unanticipated. I have always believed that every person possesses at least one beautiful physical attribute and I feel this, too, about everything. As a visual thinker, tactile things draw me in: tattered ephemera, rusty objects, decayed things. To really see an intriguing object, pick it up, turn it over, take it out of its element, study it closely, and focus in on its unique qualities. Becoming aware of the textures, the colors, the shapes, and the outwardly awkward beauty marks all make for an enticing object worth documenting.