How do you deal with "artblock"

Stu4U · August 6, 2014 01:03 AM

i haven't felt this unmotivated to draw anything in a long time...

i don't know if the reason behind it is school around the corner, my job, workloads, etc. i don't know what it is that's making me feel down in the dumps, but i'm sure some of you have had this feeling before and i'm wondering how you have dealt with it.

BluPhoenix · August 6, 2014 01:28 AM

lots of rest, nutrition, and exercise will make you feel ready for just about anything

a healthier, happier lifestyle is what leads to productivity in my experience

SrsSam77 · August 6, 2014 01:46 AM

What works for me is kicking myself in the ass. Somedays I will be completely unmotivated to do anything, and when I try to do anything, I don't know what to do. I took what I do with going to the gym, which is knowing I'll be in a better place down the line than I am now, and just applied it to art, so if I feel unmotivated, I just kind of crap out a few studies then go watch youtube videos. Also warm-ups help.

crackers · August 6, 2014 01:57 AM

watch something that inspires you to draw

Bamyasi · August 6, 2014 05:00 AM

I just remind myself that anything can be art.

cipher · August 6, 2014 05:30 AM

This is probably something weird with me, and not that I draw much anymore but...

I collect a lot of soundtracks and things from everything. I have a playlist of songs that conjure images in my head. Usually places, but sometimes people, activities, etc. So yeah I just look to that. Sometimes I'll just play the first song on shuffle, and then just draw the images conjured up by the music.

rtil · August 6, 2014 08:15 PM

personally i don't believe the phenomenon known as art block exists, but rather stems from an unwillingness to make art for some other reason. how much control you have over that reason varies, but here are some of things i hear people say when they say they have "art block":

1. i don't have any ideas. there are so many things you could potentially draw and practice drawing that there's no excuse to ever run out of ideas. but some artists feel like they always have to have an original and creative idea for a painting, while forgetting that ideas come from inspiring art and life around them. thankfully, this stuff is all around you if you choose to recognize it. we also have the internet, where you can go to sites like flickr and pixiv and deviantart, etc, to draw inspiration from other artists and photographers to come up with something to paint. and if for whatever reason you can't even do that, why not do some fanart of something you like? perhaps it will inspire you further. or just practice life drawing and still life, we have tools available online to do that without even having to go to a class.

so yeah, you might not have any ideas, and that's fine, but there are millions of them at your fingertips. so go find one.

2. if i draw something, it will suck and i'll feel bad. don't be afraid to make something that "sucks". you can only learn by making mistakes. learn to not invest too much pride into individual pieces. a career artist can go through hundreds, maybe thousands of drawings in a week, and has to learn that many of them will be tossed and never used again. you cannot get so attached to a drawing that you will become upset just because it turned out bad. nobody is perfect. ask for constructive feedback from other artists on where to improve. fresh eyes on your art can help you gain insight into where your skills are lacking. don't use excuses like "it's hard" or "it's just my style" when you are given constructive feedback - it's ok to be wrong. don't let artists who are better than you bring you down, look at it as inspiration and drive to get better, and study their art to see what they're doing right. if you like someone's style, try to merge it with your own. this is NOT stealing, this NOT wrong. this is how every artists gains their individual style - by taking bits and pieces of things they see in art that they like and combining it into a new hybrid style to make it their own. every successful artist has done this.

3. i just don't feel like drawing anything. then you have to ask yourself , why are you even interested in creating art? it's not something you can force. if you don't enjoy it, it's probably not for you. if it was always just a hobby to you, then there's no shame in dropping it. art requires a lot of passion, and if you don't have it, then it becomes a chore. and art should not be a chore. do you want the passion but you just don't know how to get it? there's probably something else in your life preventing you from finding joy in it. art should be an opportunity for you to release your anxiety and pressure from the outside world, it should be a cathartic escape. if you've experienced this, then the feeling that you'd want to return to it would only be natural. there's something in your mind you want to share and express on a canvas. if not, then refer back to point #1.

remember that at the end of the day you should be making art for you above all. if you aren't doing that, then you shouldn't be pursuing it.

Stu4U · August 7, 2014 10:20 PM

alot of these have been really helpful.

i think i fall into the second category based on rtil's list. despite how tumblr-ish this sounds, i've been feeling very insecure about my stuff recently. most likely because i compare it with some of my favorite artists' work and then i feel like i'm blatantly copying them. but the most reassuring thing i read out of all of this is

Quote from: rtil on August 6, 2014 08:15 PM
if you like someone's style, try to merge it with your own. this is NOT stealing, this NOT wrong. this is how every artists gains their individual style - by taking bits and pieces of things they see in art that they like and combining it into a new hybrid style to make it their own. every successful artist has done this.

thanks again for the reassuring comments guys -v-

soup · August 7, 2014 10:21 PM

strangle the artblock to death

naturally · August 15, 2014 06:23 PM

michaell · August 20, 2014 08:41 PM

it fluctuates

i just wait for it to reemerge

try something else you consider productive until you 'recuperate' i guess

i usually just read

i barely draw though so im probably in no authority to speak about the matter

rtil · August 20, 2014 10:40 PM

Quote from: stusader on August 15, 2014 06:23 PM

and then B^Uckley comes in with his cake, takes some parts of the other cakes and puts them on his, but really sloppily, ruining all the cakes

Flash · August 20, 2014 10:56 PM

sometimes it's enough to just bask in your favorite examples of whatever art form you're trying to produce.
when i'm making music and i get stuck, i take a little break to listen to an amazing album.
when i'm doing stuff for film school and i get stuck, i take a little break to watch an amazing movie.

we're all in this road because some kind of art speaks to us and (i know i'm being corny, but fuck it) moves us, sometimes to tears, even. i find that i need to remind myself of that quite often to be productive. so rest assured that this feeling of being stuck is not only common but necessary - everyone has those moments when you're sitting alone in a room for the 7th consecutive hour, wondering why you're even there right now - and your only choice is t power through them and try to make something touching (and if you REALLY can't do it, just use the day to practice). i imagine this is the "job" part of making a living through art, which is something i intend to do.

Gilthwixt · September 8, 2014 04:19 PM

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take awhile. It's normal to take awhile. You've just gotta fight your way through."

― Ira Glass

crackers · September 8, 2014 04:28 PM

"Eat, sleep, rave, repeat"

- Mahatma Gandhi

Bamyasi · September 9, 2014 08:09 AM

Quote from: Flash on August 20, 2014 10:56 PM
sometimes it's enough to just bask in your favorite examples of whatever art form you're trying to produce.

This. In fact I like this part so much that one day I realized that I would much rather spend my free time doing it than creating anything.

But also what Guiltwix said Ira Glass said even though the latter is kind of insufferable.

Gilthwixt · September 9, 2014 03:40 PM

I ain't give a fuck about Ira Glass, don't know him or his work. But his quote is exactly how I feel a lot of the time. The gap between what I know to be good and what I am capable of doing is so vast I often wonder if I'll ever close it, when really I should just shut up, keep my head down, and work.