Jealous of the Birds singer Naomi Hamilton’s top 5 tips

1. DON’T PUT YOURSELF UNDER ANY PRESSURE

Unless you’re a professional working to a deadline or off a brief, there’s really no point adding any element of stress to your creative project.

NAOMI SAYS: Not having a specific deadline or task ahead sometimes opens things up for me creatively.

2. CREATE AN ENCOURAGING WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND ROUTINE

If creativity is a form of escapism, it’s important to make your surrounding and set up as comfortable and encouraging as possible. Find a space you can make your own and set it up as best you can so it’s the type of spot you’ll be drawn to. Similarly, try and find a time of day where you’re likely free from distraction or the chaos within whatever your ’normal’ is!

I can spend a few hours in my little home studio experimenting with weird guitar tunings, sampling from field recordings, or tinkering with song structure. I tend to flit between creative projects, so after coffee in the morning I’ll maybe paint while the natural light’s still good and then jump into songwriting/ recording, writing poems or editing film projects.

NAOMI SAYS: 3. BE BOLD AND TRY SOMETHING NEW

If you’ve ever thought you’d like to try something new but concluded it’s a waste of your time - think of it this way. What’s the worst that can happen? If you make a mess of the project - or discover it’s just not for you - who cares? It’s as much about the process than it is the outcome.

NAOMI SAYS: When I see an artform that I appreciate, my natural inclination is to try it out for myself. That’s what got me started in analogue film photography, oil painting and trying out other instruments. A few years ago I tried to pick up the saxophone and play jazz standards by ear, but I got too distracted to stick with it.

4. EMBRACE LOCKDOWN

While it’s not helpful to feel bullied into doing anything during lockdown because it’s supposedly ‘you’re only chance’ - there should be little windows of opportunity. Crucially, you might find that trying something new is a great way to distract yourself from the horror that is 2020.

NAOMI SAYS: Lockdown has definitely reinvigorated my artistic practice in the sense that the routine of going up to my studio room to make music or paint became a very real source of comfort. Through days of boredom, despair or anxiety, it reconnected me with the true impulse for making art that I had as a teenager.

5. JUST DO IT!

What’s the difference between an artistic endeavour and any ‘regular’ hobby you might take up? Like playing golf, gardening, gaming or reading? Nothing! Other than, perhaps (for some odd reason) an unnecessary feeling of a ‘what’s the point’ form of intimidation. That feeling is best ignored - just dive in!

NAOMI SAYS: The act of simply ‘showing up’ is integral to any creative practice. You might not end up working for very long or with much accuracy, but you’ll be present. There’s a discipline to maintaining that kind of consistency, but once you’ve cultivated it you’ll be surprised by how much momentum you build. Do it for its own sake. Do it because it brings you joy. Set the neurones firing!

Through days of boredom, despair or anxiety, it reconnected me with the true impulse for making art that I had as a teenager.