Episode 25: Growth Through Consistent Art Making with Miranda Morehouse

Artist, Miranda Morehouse, shares how her journey began in 2020, with the closure of her massage therapist practice due to the pandemic, and her husband's medical residency taking her to New York. She started drawing with the Procreate app, which became an addiction. Later, Miranda turned to watercolor painting, which she did during the crisis of her father's illness and eventual passing. She turned to her art during her grief and also did a 100 Day project of creating art for 100 days. 

The transition from art being a hobby to a business was a natural flow for Miranda. After building confidence in her art and representing herself through her projects, Miranda realized that she couldn't live without making art anymore, and it became a natural decision to turn it into a business.

"Bad" Art Leads to Good Art
Miranda started her art journey by creating a separate Instagram account for her art and embracing it by calling it "good ish". She initially created fan art of a basketball player during the pandemic and acknowledges that her early work was objectively bad. However, she continued to practice and share her work, which led to positive feedback and growth. She explains that she didn't get too attached to whether people liked her work or not, as long as she was proud of it. Overall, she embraced the idea of not having anything to lose and allowed herself to grow as an artist. Creating art consistently and being comfortable in the "good-ish-ness" of it is what has allowed Miranda to become a better artist. 

Miranda explains that her 100 Day project, is what helped her refine her skillset. She found that setting a timeframe for her art-making helped her stay dedicated and develop her skills over time. Miranda gives the tips of giving oneself parameters and flexibility when doing a daily creative practice helps to be consistent. Some days she had only a few minutes to work on something, and on other days, she had a couple of hours. The focus was on showing up and making something, without any expectation of what that would be.

Born with Talent?
The misconception that being an artist is an innate talent that you are born with can hold people back from pursuing their interests in art. Everyone has natural interests and if you dedicate time and practice to developing those artistic skills, they will grow and evolve over time. Even the greatest artists have spent years honing their craft. Therefore, talent should not hold you back from making art if you are interested in it.

Tips for Consistent Art Making

-Have a dedicated work space and have it ready the night before

-Notice when you prioritize other projects, and make art your priority. 

-Recognize when you are the most productive and do your art then. 

-Make what you want to make. Don’t take time to look for inspiration. 

-Be adaptable to what is going in your life at that time (such as people in town, holidays, etc)

-Give yourself grace and flexibility with your parameters
 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• We all start as beginners. Consistently in our art practice allows our skills to improve piece after piece.

• If you are worried about showing your art to the world, ask yourself, “What is there to lose?”

• We are born with interests not necessarily talent. Dedicated time and practice is what makes you a talented artist and improves in your craft. 

• Doing a daily art project challenge can bring about a new level of dedication and help you experience personal growth as well as developing your skill set.

• Accept wherever you are in your path. Remember to work one day at a time on your goals and dreams.

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 Miranda Morehouse is a painter specializing in landscapes. She strives to artfully bring the outdoors inside by capturing the places she loves most. She enjoys painting desert scenes and sunrises inspired by her time roaming around the west. Her adventures and time in nature influence her artwork and those wide open spaces show up on the canvas in a free and impressionistic style. 

Visit Miranda's website at: www.mirandamorehouse.com and instagram.