Sparketh’s mission is to help kids – anywhere and everywhere- get the resources they need to grow creatively!
That mission is why we created our online art classes for kids. It’s also why we provide a lot of free online support for young artists through our social media channels and in the free Sparketh Community! This month, the Sparketh Community is hosting an art challenge that we are really excited about because it’s about helping kids find their own inner strength to be creative through developing a growth mindset!
What’s a growth mindset?
A growth mindset is simply a mindset that facilitates growth: something that can help keep all creative people motivated when inspiration seems to be missing.
Often, developing a growth mindset involves learning to think about things in a positive way that promotes learning and progress. This is such a vital life lesson for kids, especially for young artists who have to stay creative and self-motivated as they develop their skills and unique style! In today’s post, our team of creatives is sharing some of our top tips for staying motivated, growing creatively, and thinking positive. Whether you are a young artist, or the parent of one, we hope that you’ll share these thoughts about creativity in your family and talk about how they can help the creative process. Below our tips, you’ll also find some practical ideas for simple habits to facilitate a healthy growth mindset!
Tips for Young Artists from Sparketh’s Creative Team:
As a team of artists and creatives, we often have to motivate ourselves to keep learning and growing! Here are some of our personal tips for developing a growth mindset that will help you become your most creative self!
“Many of us practice and create privately, but redirecting yourself to a more public space (even if it’s just a neighborhood park) can really help your mental space and flow! Plus, you’ll probably get interesting bystanders who want to see what you’re doing, and make some new friends along the way.”
–Amy, Artist/Sparketh Art Instructor and Content Creator
“Never worry about creating art that other people don’t like. If you enjoy painting flowers, paint flowers, if you like to draw dogs, draw dogs, it really doesn’t matter unless you are happy with what you’re creating. Art is about having fun and creative expression, so always remember that.”
–Maria, Artist/ Sparketh Content Creator
“Modern language will never be 100% effective. There will always be some amount of ideas, thoughts, feelings that we just can’t convey with basic words or conversations. The more creative you become and the more you master any set of creative skills, you open up a whole new set of tools to communicate with. And there’s something truly satisfying when you use creativity to successfully convey a message, thought, or experience that was virtually impossible to understand before.”
-Tim, Creative Entrepreneur/Sparketh Co-Founder and Vice President
“Don’t fear failure. When you try and fail, ask questions. Learn. Try again. Growth isn’t about becoming ‘the best.’ It’s not even always about reaching a specific goal. Growth is about being brave enough to keep repeating this process.”
-Katie, Creative/ Sparketh Blogger and Content Creator
“While yes, the goal in creating is to end up with a piece we are proud of, sometimes that goal isn’t always reached. So rather than seeing it as a failure, I remind myself, ‘process over product.’ Did I learn something in the process- good or bad? Can I use that knowledge in the future? Does learning from the process actually end up being more helpful than having a successful end product? Making art is an adventure, the journey to get there is every bit as important as arriving at the destination!”
-Becca, Artist/ Sparketh Art Instructor/ Sparketh Community Host
5 Simple Habits for Cultivating a Growth Mindset
Want to put these creativity tips from our team into action? Young artists can try a few of these tips to create helpful creativity habits!
1. Come up with a personal creativity slogan or mantra! Now you’ve read our creativity tips, but what what would yours be? Think about what helps you stay motivated. What inspires you, creatively? Turn this into a motivational sentence or two for yourself! Write your encouraging statement on a piece of paper – or even turn it into a piece of art- and put it somewhere you will see it often.
2. Try something adventurous or new with your art. Do this just for the sake of trying it: for fun—not mastery! Go into it with the mindset that the goal is not winning, the goal – itself – is trying something new! Sparketh has online art classes that cover a huge range of courses, so go head over to the course library and pick something that’s totally new and different!
3. Tell people you’re an artist. As Amy said in her tip, it’s important to put yourself out there with your art! Creating in community will help grow confidence and it can also be a great way to connect with other artists! The simple act of telling people you’re an artist can be a very powerful creative motivator! You can also find a virtual community of artists via resources like the Sparketh Community and on social media platforms!
4. Collect inspiration. Whether it’s through discovering new art styles in online art classes, creating a board of favorite art on Pinterest, or making a physical collage of images that motivate you to create, it’s important to keep finding new sources of inspiration. Collecting them somewhere that you can access anytime will motivate you to create whenever you’re feeling stumped!
5. Practice every day! Very few people feel inspired every day, but the more you create, the more likely you are to find inspiration quickly! Maya Angelou: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Probably the most important thing you can do to foster a creative growth mindset is to simply make time each day to be creative, this may involve doing a quick drawing or art class each day, or checking in with a community of creatives who can help keep you accountable. Whatever it is for you, make sure to keep your daily goals realistic so that you set yourself up for success!
We hope these tips and habits inspire you – or your young artist- to keep growing creatively! What is something that helps you cultivate a growth mindset?