I loved reading this post on Copyblogger.

7 Ways to Bring More Artistry to your writing

I think becoming a better writer or producing any form of content is about continual self improvement and learning. As writers we should never become complacent or start to think we know everything.

It’s a post that reminds you that artistry isn’t something that appears from nowhere. We sometimes like to romantically think that great artistry is just natural – an innate ability that people have.

The truth is that artistry and creativity emerge from different sources that require hours of training, practice, hard work, dedication and willingness to keep learning and improving.

Copyblogger’s post talks about the importance of reading widely, writing regularly and learning to edit your own work more effectively.

I’ve found that reading a wide range of different subjects gives you more new ideas, opinions and thoughts. When you least expect it or when you’re struggling to come up with an idea, something can suddenly emerge as if by magic!

It’s often too easy to overlook the hard work, practice, technical ability and development that lies behind all creative outputs.

I was reminded of this when I watched Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Premier League last week. Like many football fans I’ve loved watching Man City play this season under their manager Pep Guardiola.

Some of the goals they’ve scored have been beautiful and artistic to watch. But the former Arsenal and French striker Thierry Henry who played under Guardiola during his time at Barcelona made a very good point on Sky Sports.

He said it has taken Man City players over a year to understand the high demands and requirements expected by Guardiola. Last season City finished a disappointing 4th in the Premier League. This season, they’ve been clear at the top for months and are playing some amazing football.

The work done on the training ground is now being seen. I feel this is similar to writing. For writers the training ground is where you learn to read widely and continually look to improve and develop your writing and editing skills.

It’s only through this repetition and desire to improve that creativity and artistry can flourish.