Do you hear it calling??
How to find your creative voice as a freelancer
Every creative has their own voice.
Whether it’s deep, quiet, compassionate, fierce, instructive, light and jovial or powerful, we all have a creative voice within us.
A voice unlike anyone or anything else.
In a world that can’t stop talking, we are easily distracted by other voices and trends, so how do we discover our voice and honestly own it?
It’s tempting to just copy someone else’s voice, or be so inspired that we subconsciously adapt it, which… is kind of the same as copying… mainly, because your voice is epic! And totally unique!
It’s great to find people that you admire and look up to so much that you want to sound more like them, or adapt and adopt intonations and phrases, but to be truly creative, and totally true to ourselves, we have to find our unique style, one that is true to only us.
Our creative voice is ultimately what sets us apart, our unique selling point so to speak, so why would we just copy others when we have so much to offer? So, I like to listen to my own inner chatty voice, the one that tells me I want more snacks, or not to stay up to late watching squirrels on you tube, and ask myself what am I doing, and why am I doing it?
What exactly it is I want to convey through my art. Is it my point of view? What are the conversations that make me happy and that I want to have more of? Is it my identity and values? Maybe all of them?
Once I’ve mused over those and many more questions for myself, making notes and scribbles to help me keep track and get it out rather than keep it as thought, I managed to define my own personal style. And I think your style is a huge part of your work so finding and defining your style is an essential step for discovering your creative voice.
Building skills
If you know me, you’ll know that I love to learn, grow and build skills. Only when I build my skills can I create more complex work and be more creative. For me, Growth and creative flow are symbiotic.
It doesn’t have to be an expensive course, a three-year degree or doctorate, there are so many free resources out there that can really help you expand your horizon and learn something new. Trying something new and not liking it is as helpful as liking something!
Meeting people, talking to new crew mates or creatives or non-creatives… finding a connection with someone who has a totally different mindset to you can be life changing! One of my best friends front hat last film I worked on was the head accountant! I mean! I can barely remember my own phone number without checking! Talk about two different perspectives
It also gives you an advantage and something else that is totally yours to use and draw from in. your work.
Sticking to your voice
As freelancers, we often get swamped with tedious admin work, endless emails and unpaid invoices, let alone dry periods so it’s easy to lose track of your creative voice and vision.
But that’s where we really need to be consistent, ride out the waves and stick to our voice as we’re on a journey of discovery. Just because we can’t see it at times, it doesn’t mean it’s not there …. so keep searching within.
Create an inspiration board
We all know how powerful visualisation can be, so I like to create inspiration boards of my own work.
Yep, you read that right, my own work. It’s tempting to use other people’s work for inspiration, but it really helps me to better see and embrace my voice when I use my own work. I also find it more motivating as the drive and burn to learn more and grow and develop is more real and present when it is in front of me, created by my own hand!
As I study my work, I tend to see my creative voice emerge, which is such a satisfying feeling. Why not give it a go yourself?
I strongly believe that we can all find our creative voice if we just allow ourselves to listen. Have you found your creative voice yet? I’d love to hear how you started to grow your artistic voice.
So.. let’s get to it!
Tell me about your voice, how did you find it?
Do you use it to its full potential? Or are you still in search of releasing it and living in the light of your own truth?