A Conversation With Brooklyn Bell, Artist And Professional Athlete
On flow state, mental barriers, and the lifelong value of art
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Based in Bellingham, Washington, Brooklyn Bell is a mountain biker, skier, and artist, who uses the movement of her body to inform her art and creative practice. Her goals on skis and bikes include playing and increasing mental and physical flexibility. “I feel like my body is getting smarter and more creative through skiing and biking,” she says. Brooklyn creates stunning mountainscapes with vibrant colors and interesting lines through graphic design and hand drawings.
I’ve been an admirer of Brooklyn’s art ever since I was first introduced to her through a film called Pedal Through, presented by REI x Machines For Freedom. Check it out, if you haven’t seen it yet. In this interview, Brooklyn shares about getting into flow state, creating space for making art, her thought process while working, the things that deplete her creativity, and the value art brings to her life.
How does your practice unfold?
My angle with pursuing a career as a mountain biker and skier has been through creating content, such as video and photo projects. What I’m creating through video and photos is culture. I’m adding art to bikes, adding art to skiing, adding color. When I do a big ski film with a production company, I want to bring myself as an athlete but also as an artist. It’s pretty exciting to be hands on in the whole process. But it’s hard because I don’t always feel like I can do every project. When I’m really honed in on my purpose and what is meaningful and what I should be doing, it takes a lot of energy to create and help drive the direction of things. I don’t want to do a lot of work, I want to do good work.
What does creativity feel like in your body?
When I am in complete flow state, it just feels like a body of warm water. Like, I’m just floating in warm water. The sun is shining on me, and I can feel the warmth of the sun. It’s just so calm, and I don’t need to focus on anything else because I can just feel present in that moment of feeling the warm water, feeling the sun, feeling the light. I’ve felt that on my skis even when it’s really cold, but the sun is shining on me, on the small part of my face.
As somebody who works as a creative, there are times when flow doesn’t come naturally. There are moments I have to get myself to feel that feeling by visualizing myself in a warm body of water to perform skiing and not feel scared. Other times, it just feels so intentional. Like, every moment that I place my pen on the paper it’s the exact thing that I need to be doing.
What does creativity feel like in your body? Chime in on the discussion thread.
How do you make space for creating? And are those spaces differentiated when it’s a different type of creation?
Lately, this has been really tricky for me. Sitting down and creating something is sometimes the first thing to go out the door. I’m also a really hyperactive person. People will ask, how does skiing and biking balance with the art? I’m like, I need to go outside and exercise so I can just chill out and actually focus on art. It’s a chemical thing. But then there are some moments, I don’t know what it is, I just don’t feel like I’m being nourished or challenged mentally. I need art. I need to create. I need some puzzle to work on. Sometimes I forget that it is part of the self care that helps me ski and bike better. Self care always takes work, like laundry and cleaning your house and meal prep and all that stuff. Sometimes it takes a little bit of work to find that space.
One of the things I try to do is work on something for myself to hopefully get into flow. I let that piece of art be…not good. Then hopefully by the time I’m done with that piece of art, I’ll be in enough flow to work. Sometimes I have to force myself to sit down and start working. When I was training for biking enduros, I would have a 10-minute rule. I would tell myself to bike for 10 minutes even if I didn’t want to go biking. By the end of the first 10 minutes, I’d probably be enjoying the bike ride. I think it’s sometimes the same with art. Sitting down for 10 minutes, turning on some music, and just trying. It’s just finding ways to make it easy for myself to make art. I don’t have a ton of supplies. I make sure all my pens are in good shape. I have fresh paper. I make sure my desktop is clean on my computer.
What goes on in your mind when you’re making?
When I’m in flow state, I’m sometimes completely reorganizing my brain and putting everything in filing cabinets. Then there are other times I’m so focused and lost in what I’m doing that I’m just thinking about breathing or what I’m creating. I love the feeling of the multitask when creating art. I like being able to listen to a really good song or podcast, and then also in my brain, I’m like, yeah, I’m gonna make something profound, too.
Other films featuring Brooklyn Bell:
Is there anything that kills your creativity or depletes it?
I think it’s mainly just me not taking care of myself. I’ll go through times when I’m not creating anything. I’ll feel like I’m missing something, but then I’ll be hard on myself for not creating anything. That is not a healthy cycle. Then there’s also burnout from being busy and traveling a lot. I used to be somebody who would travel and create. Everything felt so intense and so new, I just needed an outlet while I was doing things and connecting with other people. I also feel like I can be hard on myself because I have a very consistent style, but I want to find creative and new ways to add to that style or push that style. Sometimes I don’t feel like my work is good enough for myself so I just get stuck in the perfectionist mindset.
What does creating bring to your life?
Creating has given me a way to contribute to culture. It’s been a way for me to express myself outwardly without buying new clothes or having new accessories. Instead of buying a new shirt, maybe I can create something really pretty that’s valuable to me. It’s been really a cool way to connect with other people and put energy into products that people want to use (like the Rumpl blanket). It’s also been a way for me to connect with who I am and my heritage. I come from people who are creative. My ancestors and my grandparents are people who are naturally creative but also worked really hard to hone in on their craft.
Follow Brooklyn’s work on Instagram @badgal_brooky and through her website. Buy prints, tote bags, and other artwork through her shop.
A Few of Brooklyn’s Favorites
Music: Somersault by Beach Fossils