How I Find My Next Idea

After finishing a body of work, I often find myself in a creative lull. As I play with collage, I explain how I find my way to my next idea - this can work for you too!
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[@Mitch.Wasserman]

Louise, I know you said you think this video is "random", but I think this is one of the most useful, inspiring, and motivational videos you have posted, and I'm pretty certain I've seen every one. Thank you for the impromptu post.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I'm so glad!

[@ruthinmanart4063]

Impromptu was probably the better word :-)

[@heatherstubbs6646]

That is truly profound: “your mind only knows what you’ve done in the past; it can’t know what you are capable of in the future.” I am very much a planner. I wonder if it’s because I’m nervous about not being in control. Even during the Find Your Joy and Find Your Voice courses, I don’t think I ever abandoned control the way I’ve just watched you do. You’ve inspired me to order some panels (I suspect wood is more suited to this process than paper) and do a series of fun explorations like this. Just for the fun of it! It’s just a piece of wood, after all. Thanks, Louise. This is great! ❤️

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Enjoy!

[@MysticHeather]

It is so profound isn’t it?! I’m so inspired 💖

[@katleenemmenscreating]

How you bring me tears when you say that our mind think we know...but we only know what we made in the past!❤ So great explaned!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@libbyshipman9607]

Oh, come on, show us the next video! I love watching you work like this. It is so inspiring.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I might do that!

[@juliebabb3365]

You have helped me let go of results & enjoy. I have covered up a painting 5 times to see where it will go. Collage is a fabulous way to layer up. It is new to me so I need reminders to go for that. The randomness of your collage bits is inspiring. I need to expand what goes in the collage drawer! As always, thanks for the visit.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@donnaschafer2565]

I’ve been stuck, not finding my way out of my not creative time so this came at the right time. I also appreciate the fact that you leave the end of the project a mystery. It inspires me to be creative versus coping you to finished project.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You got this!

[@sandraheath809]

It just makes me smile watching you play Louise and having so much fun! It’s infectious 😊. I need to get paint /collage out now!!Thank you for sharing ❤

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You should!

[@mauramcqueeney8960]

If I were in primary school today, Louise, I would walk across the room to be friends with you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

thank you!

[@suzib8726]

Great watching you play. Hearing you talk about primary school art, brought back the memory of the glorious smell of art days in school. Thanks for the inspiration 🤗

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jacki1259]

Gosh, this is simply wonderful. So empowering and yet such a simple message. Thanks ever so for encouraging and shining the light for the way ahead for those of us (like me) who are just beginning an abstract journey. I can’t wait to go play with my collage stash now 🙏

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome

[@TheJoyfulPaintbrush]

Play is so important, and so discounted.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

It is!

[@judyhammond3181]

Delightful words of advice!

[@jalynefidler5613]

Thank You for showing this process and for sharing your wisdom! You are one of my Art Hero’s! 🥰🎨🖌💪💪❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Jalyne in Utah USA

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Wow, thank you!

[@mariakapatos9545]

Thank you so much Louise what a Brilliant idea.

[@Fibers-Art-Food-Fundamentals]

I work in acrylics and mixed media, and often end up collaging various bits of the papers I use to wipe my brushes off, the bits of yarns and fabrics I hand dye or paint, twigs, leaves, etc, using acrylic mediums/binders, and while I often go back and add to or cover over, little pieces peek out, and provide fabulous texture to the end piece. I find it is the perfect place to glaze in metallics or darker colors that I may not want to dominate but add so much to the overall flavor of the piece. I love that you encourage people to play and have fun with all these different elements and see what happens. 30 years ago I was a beginning florist, and the person who was teaching me how to make bows for corsages and plants flew through it so fast, I got more and more intense trying to see what her fingers were doing...finally she said, Look, it's not rocket science! Lighten up and you'll get it faster, and I think at least sometimes that is so true in life! Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

So true! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@florisabelcastillo7688]

Such wonderful insights for creativity. Love your process!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you so much!

[@josiemitchell7483]

I've just started painting and this video was so incredibly impactful. Thank you for saying that it's okay not to know what you are creating and to not stifle creativity by trying to turn your painting into "something" before it's ready. Abstract painting can feel quite intimidating, but I'm really trying to ease into the freedom of expression and not make something for anyone else. This was just what I needed! Thank you Louise x

[@ThisPaintingLife]

you are so welcome - thanks for watching

[@lindifleeman9837]

I'm new to abstract and any art. I like what you have to say. I like how you say you are intuitive painting.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you, glad it was helpful!

[@jaycham17]

This video was excellent and so helpful. What a great way to let go and just create. Thank you so much.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@SylvieKaosArt]

Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

That's very true Sylvie!

[@Urbanmoon]

That is so profound, Louise. "Your mind only knows what you’ve created in the past. It can’t know what you’re capable of coming up with in the future. So if you limit yourself to thinking, you’re only ever going to make things within the realm of what you know you can make." Words to live by! Play more!

[@Urbanmoon]

I see I'm not the only one you've struck a nerve with over that statement. It's golden.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you! Glad it resonated with you

[@DianeMaley]

Came at just the right moment. Just finished up in an uninspiring time in the studio. I was just playing and not really liking where it was going. Tomorrow I will try to just let the creative process be, let it lead the way instead of me trying to “fix” it. Thanks formthe inspiration Louise.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are welcome!

[@imogenequest56]

Love watching you work your magic! I realize I still play it “safe” with my collage pieces. I need to let go and add more layers! Thankyou for this!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You can do it!

[@karolenicholson3808]

Thanks once again for sharing your process and reminding us to have fun. So often you touch on subjects that hit very close to home.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I appreciate that!

[@lefthandstory1280]

Beautiful,nice sharing friend😃✌️.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@colleenrieu7756]

First of all your hair looks fab pulled back and up, I chuckled when I saw your overflowing scrap box, and i love how your inner child played with wild abandon!...hopefully we will get to see these pieces as they advance with the next processes so all the steps make sense!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you!

[@lindsay5166]

JUST what I needed, Louise, thank you so much!!! 💕💕💕

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@jameshopkins7507]

Intuitive play in any art form is never wasted. Trusting the process will bring inspiration and eventual results.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

exactly

[@maureenpeak7751]

Brilliant, love this. Very inspiring. Thank you.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ellenwilliams6406]

I love this. Joy is always my goal and some days just gluing down collage can be the best fun! And I also love those page edges.

[@deborahwolff5651]

Thanks for sharing. Your ideas are so cool! I love tonm watch you paint

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you for your kind words Deborah!

[@leticiacampos1044]

Yup. I needed that. Thank you!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are welcome!

[@eka9916]

What a wonderful, full of thoughts and ideas (no idea) Sharing! Thank you, Louise 🤗

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wendywendy3718]

I missed this video when you posted it but seeing it today could not be more timely. Thank you is all I can say! Exactly what I needed to hear.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joanneleclerc4168]

Oh this is fantastic because it is random but you always get such beautiful results! Mine always go bad but I am confident that this year I will make an effort to just do! I decide to choose a word for the year, as from Nicholas Sunday blog, I chose "Confiance" hope this gets me going forward!! Thanks Louise!! ❤

[@ThisPaintingLife]

That's a great choice of words!

[@besscollins6880]

Great idea! Just the thing I need to do today. Absolutely love your teaching methods.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Wonderful!

[@marypaplioris6040]

Thank you Louise!!! This is great!!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You're so welcome!

[@alyssasartgarden]

Love! I have learnt so much from your channell!! Thankyou ☺ The importance of play ❤

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@judithclendenning4146]

How I have loved your enthusiasm..and fabulous paintings…♥️🎶♥️

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you very much!

[@John-rb3yv]

Art; like recovery from addiction is SO similar Be open Find out who we are Love it!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

So true!

[@dawnkarasaki6172]

Omg, yes, love the message. Thank you👍🏼

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome

[@helenemilette5229]

Thank you again Louise for this video explaining so well the letting go and control over planning and waiting for a result (which I have so much difficulty doing). You have described well the process of creative intuition. Thank you for sharing so interesting and relevant.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@lizyoung1882]

Thanks Louise, just what I needed.A nudge is often so welcome. x

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are welcome!

[@karlabritfeld7104]

I also struggle to come up with my next idea in abstract. I think the collage is a great idea and I'm going to try it.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

It's a great way to jumpstart your creativity! 🖌

[@olgamuljawko1435]

Wunderbar!!!!!🙋‍♀️✌👏👍🌹🍀💐🌺☘🌷🌻❤

[@vickiseastrom6299]

Learning to love the 'I don't know' - keep hearing that, I sort of believe it but I forget it - new painter stuck in the fear of not knowing, I love your work and your approach! Thank you so much for the reminder. I believe it, can I do it? Going to the studio . . .

[@ThisPaintingLife]

thank you! You got this!

[@alyonajudina6750]

Thank you so much. I needed to hear this.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome

[@amyh.b.khalil8519]

YES!!!!!!😃😃😃

[@deborahhall2671]

Oh my! I so needed this. Feel like I got a hall pass to skip my most tedious class. Thank you Louise.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dianneorlando4447]

This is amazing! Thank you 😊

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You're so welcome!

[@junebloye1487]

Exactly what I did yesterday, with NO idea where it was going. I did have fun though. It was just too horrible a day to venture outside.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@denisegrams8582]

Thank you Louise - I am trying to let myself play instead of produce. BTW I love your hair pinned back. Looks great and fresh.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you!

[@davenewhouse1708]

OMG! I just discovered you, and I LOVE how you take us through your various painting processes! I have now subscribed, and I just shared this video on my Facebook page; we have quite a few abstract painter friends in our little Facebook artist / musician community.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you so much!

[@barbarageis1728]

Like your new hairstyle Louise...Very interesting work process!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@davidsillars3181]

Super useful video Louise. Thanks. ❤

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You’re welcome 😊

[@possiblepaintings5059]

Thank you Louise for this info

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@amandaheathart]

I love this Louise! And the fact you said it’s shouldn’t feel like torture. A lot of the old school thought is that we should struggle as an artist, creatively and financially and it’s ace to see you going against that and bringing the joy back ❤️🙌. This made me want to go straight into the studio and explore, thank you x

[@carollangevinstewart8699]

I am so in agreement @amanda heath. As adults we often forget how to play, and it is that ability that contributes to artistic inspiration. Thank you, Louise, for reminding us of this.

[@amandaheathart]

@@carollangevinstewart8699 totally! I went into the studio as soon as I’d watched this video and had such a lovely time. No pressure 🥰

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I'm glad it resonated with you!

[@aye8478]

This is really insightful thank you for sharing , I am extremely grateful

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome

[@melindastclair]

Thank you Louise

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are welcome!

[@joancollier4488]

Thank you Louise, just what I needed to watch to take me back into realising I can take time to experiment in order to travel to a place that I don't yet know......I'm 'finding my feet' again after about a year of being in some sort of hibernation, so your video was well timed :)

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Wonderful!

[@brianbuday8639]

Great free spirited work👍🇨🇦❤️

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you!

[@fitknitchick]

I love it! Finally something useful to do with all those useless IKEA instruction booklets :-) xx

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@annebullough8514]

How do you do it!? You always put something out there at the right time. This is exactly what I'm struggling to get my head around at the moment: intention vs intuition. Can you be intuitive while having an intention 🤔. I think I might be making this more complicated than it is... Thank you so much for sharing!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joannewilliams7251]

Brilliant wisdom :-)

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you!

[@springazure]

LOL! I have the KALLAX Ikea shelving in my studio! In Oregon, USA....I might even have the instructions. Thanks for the video.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

You are so welcome!

[@angiewillsonarte]

U r so wonderful!!!!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Aww thank you Angie!

[@Tinkertwelve]

Keep it going!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

That's the plan!

[@pamanderson9484]

Inspirational

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Thank you!

[@svetlananugis6680]

Hello Louise! Your video is very inspiring!!! Thanks for them! Could you tell, what kind of glue you use in your work?

[@carolynrousseliere5528]

That is such a great lesson, can’t believe I’m still being too careful with the early layers........even with my present one on which I vowed to be free! Off to start another with a promise to myself to NOT THINK! Still would have liked to have seen where you went next with these while understanding the reason you stopped where you did.

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@moniqueleclerc1949]

Merci beaucoup j’ai apprécié énormément

[@ThisPaintingLife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@riverbenson8932]

I love watching you remind me to stay out of my head. I do have a question - When a painting is all done, how do you know what it is truly about - what it's trying to communicate?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

sometimes you do and sometimes you don't x

[@loulahoopla1]

Hi Louise I love your video’s its helping me to open up to art again after a long time. I have a question. Im enjoying experimenting and a lot of the pieces look even better when I divide them and cut out smaller and stronger compositions. I have a plan to keep them In my sketchbook but I don’t want to close the possibility to remove them again and frame them. Is there something that can lightly stick them and still give the possibility to remove - Some kind of temporary or removable glue? Many thanks Louse

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I'm sorry I don't know of any

[@ENAIRAMA1]

oH BOY... the "I don't know" kills my mojo... and the painting stays on that table for days and weeks... Thebest ideas come at night... but too tired to get up and run to the studio to put on canvas... I would have to take my studio to my bedroom or move my bed by the table at the studio... agh... If there would be a recorder of ideas that you could play during the day when You are working on your thing... LOL!

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I think if you could learn to love the 'I don't know' you might be surprised that you don't need to write any ideas down. I think it applies to life too :)

[@googleuser9888]

I love to see how you work, Louise, especially in this "spur of the moment" way! Just one question from someone who is new to this way of working, why is important to build up layers of paper on your painting? Why paper layers, not more paint? Thank you! 😁

[@margauxv25]

I kind of don't understand the paper either. This is the second teacher I've seen work this way. You're going in knowing it's going to be covered up, that's what I don't understand. But I can see,. Rubbing and sanding to show some of the layers underneath after painting the next layer

[@ThisPaintingLife]

It is about what those layers mean to me and what they create in my mind. It wouldn't work for anyone else necessarily.

[@margauxv25]

Thanks Louise, just got done listening to to your podcast earlier today. Thanks for responding.

[@robfuzz]

Can this be done in a sketchbook or should it be done on a bunch of canvases?

[@MysticHeather]

Hi Louise! I’ve just found you over the last couple days and I’ve just begun my abstract journey. I’ve been a traditional artist, primarily focused on realism or semi realism w some surrealism thrown in, I was a professional tattoo artist for nearly a decade and then a condition I was born with decided to really show its face which lead to an early retirement from tattooing and subsequently changed the way I interact with art. Then I started experimenting. It took me 5 years to start trying abstract. I now feel it’s what I should’ve been doing all along. My question is, how do I know what “counts”? I’m just beginning to figure out what I’m trying to say or what I’m about as an abstract artist but I’m a little unsure if some of the works I’ve begun to create actually “count” as a fully fledged *painting*. The ones I’m happiest w thus far are more minimalist, how do I know if they’re too minimalistic or if they say *enough*? Thank you for your videos, I will be doing a deep dive of your channel in the weeks to come 💖

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I do hope you find lots to help you here :)

[@dontrunisaidvapist3319]

Hi Louise, I've started using Expanding Foam have you used it or ever thought about it, Thank You

[@ThisPaintingLife]

No I haven't

[@lindifleeman9837]

I wish I knew how long you have been an artist

[@ThisPaintingLife]

I have been an artist since I was born but I have been a full-time artist since 2018

[@kwdkctln]

Your gonna need a bigger box

[@ThisPaintingLife]

haha!

[@LavishHim]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💕💕💕🎨🎨🎨

[@ThisPaintingLife]

thanks for watching

[@loridavis-sandoval2878]

Do you have a Patreon account.?

[@ThisPaintingLife]

No :)