How to stay creative
Today I am happy to introduce you to the artist Bonnie-Britt Görcsös . I recently found her amazing art blog and I just love her work.
And guess what – She has just been to my favorite region the Côte d’Azur, France and painted some lovely paintings. See her sketchbook under.
Tell us about your self
I was born and raised in the Netherlands and moved to France 24 years ago after I met my future (French), husband. I always liked to draw, but never really practiced a lot until I got my children. I guess I needed something for myself besides taking care of the children, having a full-time job, etc.
Drawing and painting was my thing in which I could dive away from the busy everyday world. I attended some local art classes (that weren’t really classes, but more the idea of people gathering together to draw and paint together). I also worked a lot from books and copied my heroes to understand what they did. Then, I discovered (travel) sketchbooking and got more and more interested in outdoor drawing and painting.
At that time, the Internet became a tool for artists to show their work and I got more and more inspired by all those wonderful artists and sketchers out there and I decided to create my own “studio corner” in the living room where I could leave all my stuff and did not have to clean up each time I took out a pencil.
And I think that is where I really started to improve my drawing and painting, because having this dedicated space for me made me draw on a really regular basis, from time to time almost every day. And that is what I still do.
If I can go out, I do, if not, I draw and doodle in my studio corner, from photos or from real life objects. So if I had to give one tip, that is practice, practice, and practice !! People tend to tell me I am talented, but no, it is just a combination of passion and years of regular practice, at least, as far as I am concerned.
Tell us about your creative process. How do you get new ideas?
I am mostly inspired by my direct surroundings. I live in the countryside and I love drawing nature. I always try to find some “green” to fit in my drawings. I also find inspiration through fellow sketchers. I love to flip through other people’s travel sketchbooks and I look a lot at other’s drawing on the Internet to find ideas and inspiration. I do not copy, but sometimes pick some ideas that could suit my way of drawing.
My creative progress. In order to help me practice almost every day, I created a small drawing space in the living room for me where I can leave all my drawing and painting stuff. So there is always a recipient with water, my watercolor pans and some pencils ready to be used.
This way I sometimes only draw 5 or 10 minutes, but no cleaning up and taking out my stuff, everything is there already. I most love outdoor sketching which I do regularly in my neighborhood. When I go on holidays with my family, I cannot always draw a lot, so I complete my sketchbooks at home from photos. I love alternating, ink, pencil, watercolors and gouache and combine several drawing with text on the same page, so it tells a story.
How do you handle criticism?
Well, it is never very pleasant to get criticism, but if it is constructive, I can deal with it. I think I know my weaknesses and if I get criticism that helps me to improve that is fine with me. Sometimes it also helps to become aware of something that I might not have noticed myself.
How is your inner critic and how do you deal with it?
I think I am like a lot amongst us, that is that I tend to consider that the other sketchers do so much better than I do : For a long time, I wanted to draw like this or that sketcher, but I know very well that I will never do like him or her because I am me and not them and I have my very own style !!
And years going by and watching my work from a small distance I start to tell myself that my work is not that bad at all and that if so many people like it, it must be nice in some way!
What are your best tips for other creative sketchers?
first of all, learn to look at what is directly around us, there is so much to see and to sketch close to us and often they are subjects that we know really well. Get inspired by others, but do not copy. You are you and you must accept that. If you remain true to yourself, that will show in your work and that is what we look for isn’t it? Authenticity! Have fun, no pressure.
Draw the subject that you really like and do not try to do what everybody does. Practice, practice, practice. Talent can help, but if you do not practice regularly, you will not progress.
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