Sara Mohagen’s advice for creatives
The face behind Dark Fox Creative shares her top tips for artists and creatives.
After a health diagnosis kept Sara inside, isolated from the wildlife she loves so much, she had to find a way to keep herself occupied and inspired. She pulled out an old pencil and some paper, and started drawing...
1. Don’t overthink it, just start. Dive in and create what you love. Know that it isn’t going to be at the level you want right away, but it will be if you keep working at it.
2. Keep practising. Practise your craft a little every day (even if it’s just 15 minutes) to see improvement. You’ll be surprised in a few months or a year when you look back on where you started and see how far you’ve progressed.
3. Be inspired by other people’s work, but don’t compare. I have so many artists that I love to follow and am amazed by what they do, but my artwork will never look like theirs, and that’s okay! Our uniqueness is what makes us, and what we are creating, ‘special’.
4. Be a life-long learner. Share your work with others, get advice, and learn from other makers. Ask questions, get inspiration from books, magazines, and social media. Take classes and research online to see what’s popular in the market today.
5. Find your focus and don’t be afraid to fail. Try new things. You must be willing to experiment to find what you enjoy, what your unique style is, and what your overall goal is for your creative endeavour. Don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t work out. Try again or try something else!
6. Know when to hire out. Look at your time to income ratio. Is there something that is very time consuming and takes away from your productivity and creating time? Find what aspects of your business are more cost-effective for you to hire someone else.
7. Participate and be social. Be genuine and kind on social media and get involved locally. For me there is our local arts alliance, participating in gallery events, as well as local classes and craft fairs.
8. Keep your body moving and stretch! Creative endeavours can wreak havoc on the body if you aren’t aware of your posture and work set up. From bending over a desk painting for hours, to carrying a heavy camera on your neck as a photographer, to sewing and weaving repetitively as a fibre artist – you need to counteract those repetitive movements to keep your body comfortable and functioning for many years to come.
