Dealing with artist block
Ok… I know it’s been a while since my last blog post, not that it’s any excuse but i had a very busy july and august prepping and then attending art in the pen art fair, so i didn’t have time to post anything. however, i’ve done practically nothing in september and most of october, so what’s the excuse there?…. well i don’t have one other than i just didn’t feel like it… ok!!
everyone goes through times of stress and burnout, it’s important you recognise that and allow yourself the time to do nothing, and thats exactly what i did… nothing and i needed it. i had time to reflect on the busy year i’ve had, enjoy some other things outside of my art and taking a breather.
now thats all done, and i feel rested… why then, do i have this dread when i stare at the blank panels currently taunting me from my studio?… surely i should be excited to get back in there?!…. i can feel the pressure building, and i know if i force it, i’ll make it worse and end up creating utter rubbish, or just avoid it altogether. so what do i do? well i have a few things in my toolkit that work well for this situation. maybe these can help you to:
try something new - a good way to get the creative juices flowing is to give something new and exciting a go!.. I’ve never tried jelli plates, that looks fun!
get the sketchbook out - moving away from the threat of the panels and the pressure to create a finished piece, i can just play in my sketchbook. there’s no end goal, no deadline, just experimenting and see what happens.
short bursts of time - sometimes i find the pressure of needing to be in the studio for hours a bit daunting, so instead i give myself smaller chunks of time to work towards. maybe 10 minutes or 20 minutes and just do as much… or as little… as i can in that time. it takes the pressure off and sometimes i end up having fun and stay longer anyway!
talk about it!…. honestly, the simplest thing is always the best. just talk about it, talk about how you’re feeling, talk about your art, your ideas, why you do it and soon you’ll be dying to get back into the studio!!
don’t beat yourself up - needing a break from your art is ok, everyone goes through it, every artist on the planet has had a block. sometimes lasting years! i’ve had several…. some longer than others. one of my favourite artists, louise bourgeois said:
"Art is a means of self-expression, but sometimes you need to step back to find yourself again."
having a break doesn’t mean you’re no longer an artist, even if that break is for several years. anyone who is passionate about art will always come back to it. as long i remember that, i know i will be back in the studio, brush in hand very soon… either that or the next ridiculous deadline i give myself will soon spur me on! ha!…
I HOPE YOU FOUND THAT USEFUL AND MOTIVATING, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE, THEN FOLLOW ALONG ON MY SOCIALS (LINKS BELOW) OR YOU CAN SIGN UP TO MY MAILING LIST WHERE I WILL BE SHARING NEWS AND UPDATES ON MY ARTWORK. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
STAY WEIRD
CALLY :)