🖍️ 4 ways to overcome art block
🖍️ 4 ways to overcome art block
#36 how to get back into drawing
Hey my demon 👋,
Welcome to the edition #36 of the Art Missive! We are 4,231 😈 in this newsletter. Whether you have been here from the beginning or you have just arrived, thank you so much for reading ❤.
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In this Art Missive
⌛ Reading time : 5 minutes
🥊 Actionnability: immediately actionable
💪 Goals:
Overcome art block
Create consistently
Find your artistic voice
Improve your art
Introduction
The number one challenge among members of our artist tribe is art block.
In French, we call it "le syndrome de la page blanche" (the blank page syndrome), which I think suits it well.
Many great masters have addressed the issue of the blank page and have shown that art block can stem from an infinite number of reasons: impostor syndrome, heartbreak, burnout, having stopped for too long...
The good news is that it's not new, and most importantly, it's experienced by artists of all levels. But how do we overcome art block?
The painter Chuck Close offers a starting point:
"The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work."
Art block can only be beaten by practice, that is why in this edition #36 of the Art Missive, I’ll share with you 6 habits that will help you beat art block.
1/ Gather material.
2/ Keep a sketchbook.
3/ Discuss with those around.
4/ Copy something.
1/ Gather material.
Creating a drawing or a painting is, above all, a research process. For a long time, I believed that the artists whose work I admired came up with their ideas on their own, that they were the kind of people who had a thousand ideas per hour. Then, one day, I came across Austin's book "Steal Like an Artist," which demonstrates that all ideas, especially in art, are a recombination of what came before.
Since then, I've come across many other reflections from great authors that support this idea:
"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso
"Originality is nothing but judicious imitation." - Voltaire
"What is originality? Undetected plagiarism." - William Ralph Inge
Drawing is primarily a process of searching for inspiration, so here are some tips to enhance your research:
💡Your takeaways:
👉 Build your reference library. Do daily research on Instagram, Pinterest, Art Station, and save the artworks you find interesting. Stay organized in your categorization.
👉 Start with a specific concept and see how other artists have approached that question. Don't blindly copy them; try to understand their choices and gather information from multiple different sources.
2/ Keep a sketchbook.
In reality, we create every day.
None of us has ever been stuck writing your grocery list, doodling flowers and hearts on your favorite colleague's workbook or drawing your cats in goofy positions. Generally, we get stuck when there's a stake and a fear of not being able to do it.
However, the trick when you can't seem to draw anymore is to keep drawing. It doesn't matter what you draw; the important thing is to keep drawing.
In his course on inking, Miles Yoshida encourages us to keep a daily sketchbook. He explains that it's highly difficult to generate ideas on demand. On the contrary, his best work mostly comes from ideas and concepts worked out in his studies and daily practice.
💡Your takeaways:
👉 Daily drawing nurtures creativity and generates ideas. In these moments, keeping a sketchbook can be a great ally. It's a space just for you, to which no one has access, and where you can draw whatever you want, as long as you draw.
👉 A sketchbook is meant for exploration. You can also take notes on artworks you like or artists' advice that resonates with you. You can copy an artist you admire, draw your cat, jot down dreams you have at night—basically, anything is a good excuse to keep drawing and creating.
3/ Discuss with those around.
When you're looking for an apartment, you probably talk about it with your friends or acquaintances who have been through it. Who knows, maybe they've heard of a good deal? You likely do the same when you're searching for a job, a great clothing brand, a restaurant recommendation, or a date.
So why not do the same for what you're drawing? A few months ago, I wanted to create an archer character, but I was struggling to find an interesting angle. While casually chatting with my best friend, who's a video game enthusiast, I talked about my struggle to draw an original archer… Surprisingly, he listed numerous game characters that could inspire me.
💡Your takeaways:
👉 By discussing your drawings with those around you, your loved ones might provide you with unexpected resources or a fresh perspective you hadn't considered.
👉 Speaking aloud about your creative roadblocks with those around you will help you generate new ideas and potentially break through your creative barriers!
4/ Copy something.
Yes, copy. From time to time, take the works of an artist you really admire and reproduce them. You will suddenly become very aware of the choices the author has made. You will have a look at the work from the author's perspective. Over time, you will feel like an insider, and you'll say to yourself, "I know why they chose this color combination" or "I know why they used this technique instead of this one"...
Personally, I like to copy Guweiz's characters. I don't publish them because they are not my works. However, it allows me to step into the shoes of my favorite artist and understand their thought process. I've realized that they have made technical and artistic choices that I wouldn't have made. So, I learn a lot.
💡 Your takeaways:
👉 If you are an artist, you've probably asked yourself this question a thousand times: what is my style? There is no way to answer this question other than by practicing. Finding your style is a process. So start by copying reality as well as the styles of artists you appreciate, and you will find your own along the way.
5/ Conclusion
One last piece of advice for the road. Generally, being art blocked is a sign that something deeper is not right. Most people try to avoid it, whereas our unconscious mind is our best friend. It often understands things that our conscious mind doesn't know yet. The key is to listen to it.
That's all for me. See you next Monday!
Léa, Mama demon for those in the know.