Themes and Values

A magical combo for artists

Themes are ideas or concepts that run under the surface of your artwork. Knowing them can be helpful when it comes time to discuss or present your ideas to others. 

When I combined values and themes, it turbo-charged my clients’ understanding of their lives and their creativity. I’ve never seen this two-part process elsewhere, and it may be the most potent part of Your Artist Knows the Way. 

Today, we will look at how your values relate to the themes that are inherent to your projects. 

INVITATION

Identify the themes or topics that recur in your art or writing. Make a list of as many as you can think of. 

Then match them with values. See how they connect. What do you notice? Perhaps new values emerge as you look at the concepts or topics of your work. For example: 

Value: personal growth

Theme: Transformation through travel and creativity

Value: creativity/expression

Theme: empowerment through artmaking 

Now, look at the stories you tell often. What themes are inherent in them, and what values are you expressing when you relate these stories?  

Now that you have your values and your themes, you can see how they appear almost as invisible ink in the stories you write and the art you make. 

Pull your values and themes into one place. Situate this document or artwork where you can see it, draw inspiration from it, and use it as a guide to what’s underneath everything you make. 

A visual map of my values

I made a visual map of my values and themes. It’s posted in my studio to remind me of what underpins all the things I make. It’s fun to see how the projects I love the most will touch on several values and themes. I look at it all the time when I want to see how the things I am doing reflect my values.

Affirmation: My values and themes combine to reveal my unique Creative DNA.

In the comments: What values and themes do you see most strongly at play in your life now?