Skill-building: Are You Using the Right Tool for the Job?
Each week I explore one of my 7 Pillars of Creative Living—the framework that keeps my artistic practice on track. Today, we're focusing on the third pillar: Build Your Skills.
Building skills is an essential part of the creative process, but I've found that separating it from other aspects of making art helps me tremendously. When I designate time specifically for skill-building, I'm not simultaneously worrying about the business side, my long-term goals, or even the deep creative inspiration behind my work. This compartmentalization creates freedom to focus purely on technique.
Creating Space for Skill Development
Every Monday, I just throw on the wheel. I decide ahead of time what shapes I'll be making and how many pieces I'm aiming to complete. When I walk into the studio, I'm simply moving through the steps, focusing entirely on the technical side of the craft. I've eliminated the decision fatigue that comes with figuring out what to make on the spot, or what it means, or any of that stuff.
This approach might sound restrictive, but it's actually liberating. By removing the pressure to be spontaneously creative while also mastering technique, I can give my full attention to developing muscle memory, refining motions, and solving technical problems. And focusing on the techncial aspect of what I’m doing gets me curious about the tools I am choosing for the job.
What technical result are you looking for?
What is taking too long, or producing results that are not what you pictured?
Finding the Right Tools for Your Voice
The hardest part of selecting the right tools isn't actually choosing between options—it's getting clear on what you're trying to say with your art in the first place. What are you trying to accomplish, at your core? Once you know this, decisions are so easy, it’s obvious what tool to use and what the next action steps are.
When I returned to art in mid-life, I knew I wanted to express myself authentically, but I wasn't exactly sure what that meant in practice. Initially, I would develop a specific theme, like the concept of home, and think that's what all my art would be about. But I've found that I have to get comfortable not knowing. As a high school student, I had this quote about creativity posted on my bulletin board:
“It’s like driving a car at night; you can never see further than the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
I’m trying to accept the messy middle of sitting with the tangled thoughts, letting clarity emerge gradually through forward motion, rather than artificially designing the whole thing before I even get my hands messy.
I've found that the only way to discover your artistic voice is to keep making work consistently and reflecting as you go. It's through this iterative process that patterns emerge—your natural tendencies, recurring themes, and authentic perspective.
For me, those patterns include curved, meandering lines that feel organic and expressive. I'm drawn to work that balances precision with wildness, that embraces contradictions—finding beauty in how pain and love can exist in the same moment, how we can be both neat and messy, connected and distinct. But I’m still digging, still uncovering what’s really underneath my drive to create, and working to set it free.
Once you recognize the patterns in your personal work, tool selection becomes much clearer, and the work flows out more naturally.
When the Tool Fits the Vision
About a year ago, I purchased a DiamondCore carving tool for my ceramic work. I heard they were the best. It was high-quality and well-crafted, but I discovered that the particular tip wasn't ideal for the curved lines that feel natural to my hand and artistic voice. I was fighting against it.
Recently, I invested in another DiamondCore tool with a U-shaped carving tip. Such a subtle shift in shape, but the difference has been remarkable. This tool allows me to create the expressive, flowing lines that feel authentic to my work, but with a precision and professionalism that elevates the finished piece.
The right tool doesn't change your message—it amplifies it. It works with your natural tendencies rather than against them. When there's alignment between your vision, your physical movements, and your tools, the technical process feels less like a struggle and more like a dance.
The Torpedo Bat:
What tools could you find, or design, that suit your unique movements and talents?
Think about it this way: the New York Yankees didn't just tell their players to change their swings to match standard bats. Instead, they studied where on the bat most players were naturally making contact with the ball, then designed the "Torpedo Bat" with the biggest part of the barrel positioned right at that contact point. By creating a tool that complemented players' existing tendencies rather than fighting against them, they improved performance dramatically.
Mastering Your Tools
Finding the right tool is just the beginning. Mastery comes through practice, turning technical ability into intuitive expression.
I'm currently focused on developing my surface design techniques, particularly carving and sketching directly onto clay. Drawing on a ceramic surface is different from drawing on paper—the texture, the resistance, the permanence all require adjustments to technique. But as I practice, these marks are becoming more natural extensions of my artistic voice.
The goal isn't just technical proficiency. It's reaching a point where the tool becomes nearly invisible in the process, where your focus shifts from "how do I use this?" to "what do I want to say?" And then letting it flow out naturally, without overthinking or second-guessing each mark.
Finding the Right Tools in Life
This principle extends beyond art into life. Just as the right carving tool transforms my ceramic work, finding the right organizational system has transformed my daily productivity.
When I left my 9-to-5 job, I struggled to structure my days. Following my whims led to the brain fog of indecision, while highly structured planners with extensive daily pages felt too rigid and were quickly abandoned.
Then I discovered the Bullet Journal method. Unlike other systems I'd tried, this one was flexible enough to adapt to my natural tendencies while providing enough structure to keep me organized. Learning the process took time, but now it functions as my "external brain"—everything in one place, adapting as my needs change.
Are your daily tools working for you?
What does it look like when you are moving through your days smoothly and efficiently, finding satisfaction in the doing?
Like my U-shaped carving tool, the Bullet Journal system doesn't force me into someone else's workflow. It enhances my natural way of processing information and tasks, making me feel more in control without fighting against my inherent patterns. Again though, to fill out your own bullet journal, you have to first get super duper clear on what you’re trying to do - for now. You don’t have to know your whole future and how it will unfold! But at this moment, this slice of life, this chapter or phase…what are you trying to do, or be?
The Freedom Beyond Technique
There's a beautiful paradox in skill-building: Technical mastery ultimately leads to greater creative freedom.
When you've developed proficiency with your tools, when you've practiced a technique until it becomes second nature, you can focus entirely on expression. The technical aspects move to your subconscious, freeing your conscious mind to explore, innovate, and create work that truly reflects your vision.
This is why dedicating specific time to skill-building is so valuable. It's an investment that pays dividends in creative freedom later.
Your Turn
This week, I invite you to look at your creative practice and identify one area where finding a better tool or technique might enhance your expression. Not a shiny new purchase for its own sake, but a thoughtful consideration of where your current tools might be fighting against your natural tendencies.
And beyond your art, where in your life could the right "tool"—whether a physical object, a method, or a system—help you work with your natural patterns rather than against them?
I'd love to hear about tools or systems that have transformed your creative practice. Share in the comments below or send me a DM!
With Enthusiasm for Life & Art,
Heidi
Next week, we'll explore my favorite - the fourth pillar of Creative Living: Create. We'll discuss the 3 crucial ways preparation leads to flow—how all this skill-building and tool-finding ultimately sets the stage for those magical moments of pure creation. Stay tuned!