By MJ
Making art isn’t easy, and it can be tough to stay in the habit of creating new things. You know how it is- maybe your day job has been keeping you too busy, family life has you feeling stressed, or there just plain aren’t enough hours in the day. But whatever the specifics, it has the same result… it’s been awhile since you’ve made some art.
The trouble with taking a break is that the psychological forces of procrastination and perfectionism can team up and tackle your resolve. Suddenly it doesn’t seem like enough to just make something, it has to be a truly great thing!
Your first step to getting back on the road to making art is to break past these kinds of thoughts. And the best way to do that is to forget your expectations and hesitations and give yourself the freedom to fail.
So do something you’ve never done before, something that you might not be good at:
– Draw with your non-dominant hand
– Try a new art creation program or hands-on technique
By shaking up your routine, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to discover your love of creating again.
Another way of approaching the problem is to focus on quantity instead of quality:
– Put ten minutes on the clock and try to get ten loose sketches on paper
– Write down every idea you have for the next 15 minutes, no matter how dumb.
A lot of these will be mediocre, and some might even be downright terrible. But the more you let your mind explore, the more likely you are to stumble onto something truly interesting.
Once you have an idea or sketch that you’re excited about, it’s a lot easier to invest the time and make it great!
What’s your best trick for breaking past artist’s block?
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MJ is a t-shirt nerd, designer and blogger. Visit TeeMagnet.com for daily tee roundups and Compete-tee-tion.com for shirt design reviews and contest news for artists.