I recently got a question from a reader that went like this:
“I have heard about “writer’s block” but is there such a thing as artist’s block? I recently retired, have all the time in the world, the colored pencils, the water colors, all the supplies, and I can’t get going. It is like a fear. I have taken a water color class, but can’t get myself going at home. Any suggestions?”
It helps to have a few basic sketching materials packed up and ready to go so you don’t burn up your motivation by rummaging around for materials. You can grab and go!
I think artists block is pretty common, actually! I have several suggestions and hopefully one or two will fit your situation:
• Give yourself small goals and don’t expect everything you do, or the next thing you do, to be a masterpiece; drawing is like playing an instrument, the more you do it the better you get at it but there will be bloopers along the way
• Find a friend to regularly draw with or join a sketching group, something informal, not a class (although classes are great)
• Spend much more time drawing, gaining skills on perspective and shading, than painting at least at first
• Give yourself weekly goals, whatever you think you can accomplish, like three sketches or one detailed drawing a week
• Pretend your art is a job and you have certain hours and days set aside for it, then stick to your schedule
• Don’t expect it always to be fun. If you want to be any good at it, you have to work for it, even agonize over it at times. You have to do it even when you don’t feel like it.
• I think the “10,000 Hours Rule” is pretty accurate—that’s how many hours of practice it takes to achieve mastery in a field. Every time you draw, sketch or paint, you are getting closer to mastery.
This is an important topic and I would like to expand on it more later. Since actually doing what I love (art) has been a big struggle for me for many, many years, I have thought about this a lot. Some new perspectives on the why behind my art have been simmering in me in recent years. I feel the changes have helped me a lot. Maybe it’ll have to simmer some more before I write about it, but the above is just a teaser! More to come…
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).
Great advice Janene, it certainly does happen to everyone too xx