How to Get Out of "Art-Block"! *Bring back your creativity*

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 HOW TO GET OUT OF ARTBLOCK

1) RELAX, TAKE A BREAK

    Your immediate thought when going through Art-Block may be to keep painting and just trudge through the feeling. But, I propose that instead of dragging your feet and forcing yourself to make art, just take a step back and relax. One of the worst things you could do to the creative part of your brain is to force it to be creative when it's tired and worn out. Instead, take time away, allow boredom to sink in. After all, boredom is often times the father of the best ideas. Just like American author Robert M. Pirsig said," Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity."

2) EXPLORE YOUR OTHER HOBBIES

    It can be very alluring to dump all of your time and energy into your favorite hobby, but it can be more rewarding to allot some time doing or finding other activities you love. After all, art is about expressing who you are and how you see the world. So by finding your other hobbies, you further discover yourself thus making your art more reflective of who you are. Exploring your other hobbies also allows you to practice the first suggestion, take time away from art. Whether your other hobbies be art related or not, spending some time nurturing what you find fun will make for better art when you come back.

3) MAKE PROGESS IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE

    One of the biggest causes of Art-Block is the feeling that you aren't making tangible progress. Whether or not this feeling is true, if you feel like you're not making progress, it makes it incredibly difficult to want to keep trying. So to get that feeling back, try and make progress in another area of your life. Get back on that New Year's resolution of going to the gym, learn that new trick you've been wanting to on your skateboard, or finish those books that have been sitting on your nightstand for the past month. Whatever it may be, making progress builds momentum and gives you motivation in every part of your life. After all, the hope of progress is the only reason we do anything in life.

4) BECOME A STUDENT AGAIN

    If you aren't quite willing to take a break from art "cold-turkey", you can get back to basics and just observe and learn. While coming up with your own original ideas is fun, it can be burdensome when you are already not feeling inspired creatively. So instead, follow a tutorial, do quick figure studies, practice compositions, brush up on color theory. All of these things take the heavy lifting out and allow for you to improve your art skills without taxing yourself any further.

5) NEW STYLES, NEW ARTISTS, NEW TECHNIQUE

    While your ability to create art may be strained, your artistic eye often isn't. You can use this time to break out of your artistic box. Find new styles that you've never seen before. Discover new techniques that hadn't ever crossed your mind. Find inventive new ways to work with your favorite medium. Climbing out of the metaphorical box that you've put yourself as well as your art in, can be super motivating and can lead to some "a-ha" moments.

6) GO THROUGH YOUR OLD ART, FIND SOME YOU'RE PROUD OF

If you're losing motivation because you feel like you never like how your art turns out, try this tip. Go back through your old art. From the most recent ones to as far back as you can go. Pull out every piece of art that you are even slightly proud of. Examine them and find out what you like about them, then make a list. Moving forward, you can now try and apply some of these things in your art. And while you are figuring out what makes your art good, you are also building confidence and a motivation to get back to what you love.



Photo credits:

1) Photo by Admiral General M. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ GodShepherdly 33277089* from Pexels
2) Photo by Maksim Goncharenok from Pexels
3) Photo by Ali Gabr from Pexels
4) Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels
5) Photo by Вася Стасюк from Pexels
6)Photo by Sofya Borboris from Pexels



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