Corny? Maybe, but in this fast-past world that seems to spin faster every day, we all need a refuge. You might find it exercising, gardening, sewing or working on your car, but I find mine in my sketchbook.
Looking back, I'm surprised my books aren't filled with whining, venting and complaining. Instead the pages are covered with kid paraphernalia and Punk stories. I've learned that it isn't so much about what's on the pages, but that I spend a few minutes each day with me, myself and I, doing what I like and want to do.
The thing is sometimes life gets in the way. I get too tired or busy and the sketchbook feels like one more thing I have to do instead of something I want to do. At almost 40, I've been avoiding sketchbooks a lot longer than I've been drawing in them and when I miss a few days I tend to freak out a bit. So here are a few things I do when I find myself struggling.
- Draw something small that won't take a lot of time.
- Skip the writing part of the program.
- Glue in photographs or keepsakes from a busy day (movie tickets, museum pamphlets, dinner receipts).
- Give myself credit for doing some other creative thing that day (gardening, cooking, drawing someplace other than my sketchbook, crocheting).
- Simply cut myself a break (I find this one hard) because there are only so many hours in a day.
- Skip the thinking part and go back to the Everyday Matters Challenge List. This list got me drawing in the beginning and is the first place I go when I can't think of anything to draw.
- Find inspiration with other artists on their blogs or Flickr.
- Go someplace else. Some days I feel like I've drawn everything in this house, so I go to the zoo or a coffee shop or a garden center to draw.
- Take photographs of things I might draw later.
- Draw from photographs I've taken before.
What do you do when you hit a creative roadblock?
It happens to all of us Karen, I feel the same things as you with my blog, with my art, and sometimes I freak out when a couple days go by and I feel like .. I'm an artist? ok .. what did you do recently? Right now trying to get that website up I actually haven't done a real watercolor in weeks.. Scary, but I know it goes in phases and it;ll come back .. I hear the same thing and see the same thing with other artist.. I love your sketchbooks.. I've started and stopped dozens of times. I mean what the heck happened between May and Septembe? LOL ! BJ
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list!
ReplyDeleteThe EDM list is still a great go-to place. And giving yourself time off or credit for the other creative things you do in your life keeps it fun and not work. :):)
Oh, I think your coloring of the pages ahead of time is a great block smasher, too. ;)