Slow Art Creation
Lately it’s been feeling like everything—including creativity—needs to happen quickly. Social media promotes constant sharing, and we're frequently bombarded with ads telling us to generate more, quicker. But when it comes to making art, this pressure can lead to burnout, frustration, and work that feels rushed or incomplete.
The truth is, creativity doesn’t need to be hurried. There’s value in taking your time with your art, allowing ideas to simmer (I like to call this stage of my work “staring at my wall” where I have all my works in progress where I can just sit, look at everything and ponder) and evolve before presenting them to the world. Slowing down can help you create more intentional work that truly reflects your vision. Let’s talk about why it’s important to resist external pressures and embrace the art of slow creation.
Letting Your Work Breathe…
As an artist, you might feel the need to always have something new to show. Especially in a world where the expectation is to constantly upload to Instagram or TikTok, it can seem like the only way to stay relevant is to be constantly visible. But meaningful art may not come from pushing to meet an invisible deadline. Sometimes, your best work comes after you’ve let it sit for a while—giving yourself the freedom to revisit, reconsider, and refine it.
I see this arise in meetings at work where we’re asked, “what do you think about x, y, z?” and I find I am one that needs to sit an simmer a bit on an idea. After reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman I felt more ok with letting people in the meetings know that I needed time to ponder. I also found that I was ok with slowing down my art process a bit when needed (like all things, we have stages in our life, so while sometimes it’s the dreaded “hustle” time, it’s also nice to take some “not-hustle” time!).
There may be a misperception that the more you produce, the more successful you will be. However, in the arts, success is determined by quality rather than quantity. Taking time allows your thoughts to breathe. This does not imply that you stop creating, but rather that you give yourself permission to slow down, reflect, and provide space for the work to evolve naturally. You are not in a race to the finish line; instead, you are in the process of creating something meaningful to you.
Developing Depth in Your Work
When you work slowly, you can go deeper into the subject matter. Surface-level ideas might come quickly, but it typically takes time to fully explore a theme or feeling in your art. Consider this: Slow creation allows you to question yourself, "What else?" What else can you add to this piece to make it more complete, insightful, and consistent with your particular vision? What other layers can you explore and experiment with (yes, I know all my students may have groaned there as they heare “explore and experiment!” a lot with me)?
By not rushing the process, you open yourself up to possibilities that would have gone unnoticed if you were simply aiming to finish quickly. You can explore, tweak, or add complexity to your work. You might even discover that the piece evolves into something completely different—and better—than you had expected. Slowing down allows those creative twists and turns to occur naturally.
Avoiding Burnout
I talk a lot about burnout for a reason. I tend to see it happen a lot in my classes and as well I experience it quite frequently. If you've been doing art for any amount of time, you've probably experienced creative burnout. It occurs when you push yourself too hard for too long without taking the time to rest and recover. The pressure to always produce can sap your creative energy, leaving you feeling stuck and uninspired.
Taking a gentler approach allows you to avoid burnout. You are not forcing thoughts or pushing yourself to your boundaries only to meet external expectations. Instead, pace yourself, and allow your creative mind to breathe and recover as needed. Slowing down can help you maintain a longer, healthier creative practice because you're not continually running out of steam.
Navigating External Pressures
Of course, one of the biggest challenges of embracing slow creation is dealing with the external pressures that push you to do the opposite. Whether it’s the demands of the art market, social media algorithms, or even well-meaning advice from others, it can feel like the world is telling you that if you’re not producing constantly, you’re falling behind.
Much of this pressure, however, is artificial. Social media sites, for example, rely heavily on engagement and visibility, but that doesn't mean you have to play by their rules. You can pick your own pace. It's not necessary to post daily updates just because someone else does. Your work is yours to shape, and part of that process includes establishing a rhythm that works for you—one that does not sacrifice output quality for speed.
Reclaiming Your Creative Autonomy
When you slow down, you reclaim control of your creative process. You are no longer subject to external timetables or trends. Instead, you're working on your own terms, trusting your instincts and letting the job unfold spontaneously. This autonomy can be really liberating.
When I think back on some of my most rewarding projects, they are generally the ones that I did not rush. I allowed myself time to mull about ideas, attempt things that didn't work, and let the piece tell me what it required. It wasn't about hitting a deadline or answering an external demand; it was about embarking on a journey to create something I was proud of, even if it took longer than intended.
Finding Meaning in the Process
Slowing down allows you to reconnect with the joy of making. Art is more than just the end result; it is also about the process. When you're racing to complete tasks, it's easy to lose sight of why you started in the first place. But taking your time allows you to enjoy the journey. You can relish the small moments of discovery, the satisfaction of overcoming creative obstacles, and the joy of seeing your ideas take shape.
Slow creation is about more than just resisting pressure; it's about discovering purpose and fulfillment in the act of making. It's about reconnecting with why you became an artist in the first place, and giving yourself permission to create with intention and purpose.
Trusting Your Own Timeline
It's vital to understand that each artist moves at their own speed. What is fast for one person may be sluggish for another, and that is fine. There is no "right" speed for creating art. The key thing is to establish a speed that permits you to produce your best work.
Trusting your own timeline is allowing yourself to work at a speed that feels natural to you, without comparison to others. It entails recognizing that certain projects will take longer than others, which is completely OK. In reality, some of the most valuable work takes time to create because it needs further thought, experimenting, and contemplation.
The Long-Term Benefits of Slow Creation
One of the biggest advantages of slow creation is that it allows you to build a body of work that truly represents your artistic vision. When you rush, you may wind up with pieces that seem disjointed or incomplete. But if you take your time, you may produce work that is cohesive and intentional, representing your distinct style and perspective.
Over time, this strategy might also help you gain a better knowledge of your own creative process. You'll learn to distinguish when a work is complete and when it need additional time. You'll become more aware of your own creative cycles, allowing you to make smarter judgments about whether to press forward and when to take a break.
Conclusion: Slow Creation Is a Path to Authentic Art
The art of slow creation is about trusting yourself and your process. It's about letting your work develop naturally and rejecting the need to produce continuously. Slowing down allows you to produce more meaningful, real art—that is, work that isn't forced or hurried but instead stems from true creativity.
So, next time you feel the pressure to hurry up and finish something, take a step back. Ask yourself if rushing will actually improve the job. Chances are, the answer is no. Instead, allow yourself the time and space to let the work breathe, to explore all of the possibilities, and to create something truly meaningful to you. Finally, slow creativity is about creating art that is perfect for you.
Want to read more on this topic?
The Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber
This book isn’t just for academics but applies to creatives who feel the need to resist the fast-paced demands of society. It encourages a slower, more thoughtful approach to intellectual and creative work, advocating for depth and meaning over speed.
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
While this book tackles creative resistance, it emphasizes the importance of persistence and staying true to one’s process. It’s a great read for artists who feel the pressure to constantly produce but want to focus on creating meaningful work.
How to Be an Artist by Jerry Saltz
In this approachable guide, Saltz, a prominent art critic, discusses how to nurture and sustain creative practices. It encourages artists to embrace their own timelines and resist the urge to conform to external pressures.
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland
This book focuses on the internal and external challenges artists face. It reinforces the idea that art creation is a process and encourages artists to take their time to work through obstacles rather than rushing to avoid them.
