Don’t know what to draw or paint? Have no inspiration? Fear of making mistakes in art? If your answer is yes to one or all of the questions, you might have a symptom of having an art block.
Don’t worry! It is okay to have an art block sometimes. In today’s post, we will learn about what an art block is, what causes an art block in visual art, and 10 different ways to help you overcome an artist’s block.
An art block is a psychological term for a lack of motivation or inspiration to create art. This can be used in painting, music, writing, or other creative works. There isn’t an official definition of an art block in any dictionary.
How do you know if you have an art block? Go through the questions below and see if you say yes to most of them. If you do, you might be experiencing an artist’s block.
- You don’t have any ideas for drawing or painting today.
- You want to create something today but keep procrastinating to do so.
- You feel scared of starting drawing or painting.
- You spent too much time thinking about painting something awesome but by the end of the day, you haven’t even started.
- You criticize yourself and think that you are not a good artist and your artwork sucks.
An art block can last for hours to days or months. Learning what causes an art block can help you avoid or overcome a creative rut.
What Causes An Art Block?
There are different reasons for an artist to feel unmotivated and uninspired to create artwork. They can be mental or physical reasons. There are internal and external factors that cause an art blockage.
Self-doubt
Have you ever thought that “I’m not good enough”, “My art sucks”, “I will never become a good artist”, or “Why can’t I paint or draw as well as other artists?”? You are not alone! Many artists who have just started their art journey have the same thoughts.
Self-criticism and self-reflection help us progress but self-doubt prevents us from achieving our goals. Self-doubt is formed when you compare yourself with others. We look at someone else’s success but we forget to look at how they get there. For example, you compare your watercolor painting with a painting of another artist who has spent 10 years practicing it, and then you feel frustrated with yourself because your artwork doesn’t look as good as theirs.
Self-doubt can also appear when you lack the skills. You don’t know what to do or how to do things properly. For example, you feel like you are not good at watercolor painting because you don’t know how to control it.
Lack of Skills
If you feel stuck at the same skill level and don’t know why your arts still look amateur, it’s probably because you haven’t got enough skills. A lack of skills can cause a blockage in art and self-doubt.
There are many skills needed to become a successful artist such as understanding the mediums, art history, understanding the objects, light and color, anatomy, etc. It takes time to learn and practice to gain those skills, especially from the beginning. Many people may feel bored or difficult to develop a skill when they start, so they quit practicing it.
Besides art skills, you also need to develop time management skills, discipline yourself, and learn how to handle art criticism. Do you set your schedule to practice drawing and painting daily? Can you start creating artwork without procrastination? Do you feel upset or angry when receiving constructive feedback on your art? All those skills seem not directly relevant to creating art but they are necessary to help you progress in your art journey.
Perfectionism
It is good to attempt to create an amazing and flawless artwork. However, the fact is artists always see mistakes in their art. Trying to make something perfect may waste your time when you can use that time to create another artwork and learn another skill. You may also feel demotivated when you cannot finish an artwork after spending so much time on it.
Another ‘symptom’ of perfectionism is that you expect to always create a masterpiece whenever you sit down and make art. This is an ambitious goal and it’s more likely impossible because we all have good days and bad days. Setting an unrealistic expectation can cause frustration and disappointment.
Mental or Physical Exhaustion
Our brains are more active and come up with more ideas when we are happy and healthy. It’s hard to be creative when you are upset or when you feel tired.
The mind and the body work together and can impact each other. When your body is physically exhausted, your mind will shut down. Feeling stress for a long time can increase the risk of hypertension, heart attack, or stroke, according to the American Psychological Association.
A common health issue that artists have is back and neck pain because we usually keep the same position when we create art. This can become a serious problem that prevents you from painting and drawing.
Lack of Art References
Inspiration comes from what you see and experience. If you feel like you don’t have any ideas to create art, it could be because you don’t have a lot of references. When you don’t see or experience enough, you will run out of ideas quickly.
Art Space
The environment can affect how your mind and body work. Sitting in a narrow room and trying to create art might not be a good idea. On the other hand, you will be more likely inspired when you are in an open space such as a park, a library, or a coffee shop with other artists.
The way you organize your art studio also matters. The easier you can sit down and start drawing or painting, the less you procrastinate.
How to Overcome an Art Block? 10 Tips for Artists
It is easier to overcome an art block when you know the reason for it. A creative rut is not a disease but it can be prevented or cured with the following tips:
Compare Your Art Wisely
People may tell you to stop comparing your art with others. From my experience, if you can compare your art with others wisely, you can learn from them.
When you look at someone else’s amazing artwork, try to find what elements made it amazing and how can you achieve them. If you don’t know what techniques they use, then ask them or do more research online.
Remember that every art master had to start as an amateur. Every success requires a lot of practice and learning effort. Natural talent is a gift but it doesn’t make an infant a successful artist. You can become a better artist if you put a lot of effort into practicing and building a good feedback loop. A feedback loop in art is a process in which you analyze the feedback on your art to find solutions to improve your art quality, continue doing what works, and then keep getting more feedback.
Be Open to Constructive Feedback & Suggestions
It’s easier said than done to be open to feedback from someone else on our artwork. It is partially because we tend to attach our work to our personality and identity. Negative feedback hurts our egos and we tend to defend ourselves when receiving feedback or suggestions.
“The beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Different people have different art preferences, and you don’t need to agree or disagree with everyone. Respect their feedback and take it as a reference for your feedback loop. You will need to analyze the feedback and take what works better for you. You may find new ideas to try or art techniques that you haven’t learned before.
Create a Plan to Improve Your Skills
Don’t wait until you have the inspiration to create something. Plan your time and the topics ahead can help you avoid the situation when you don’t know what to do.
Do research on what skills you need to improve, including art skills and non-art skills as mentioned previously, then schedule your time to learn those skills. This is especially helpful when you try to create your own art business.
For example, have three days per week to practice drawing and painting on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to improve your art skills, and have other days to learn about marketing, time management, communication skills, etc.
Focus on Progress, Not Perfection
It is better to learn something new every day than trying to make a perfect artwork and then feel demotivated. You should sometimes compare your current artwork to the ones you created a long time ago to see how much you improved. This will motivate you to keep practicing and prevent you from quitting.
Take a Break Periodically
Taking a break should be on your to-do list. It helps you balance your life and recharge your body and your mind. Taking a break also helps you avoid burnout and increase your productivity.
How to take a break in the right way? There are different time-management frameworks such as Pomodoro, Getting Things Done, and Time Blocking. Try different frameworks and find the one that works best for you.
Besides taking a short break, you can also consider having a long break to refresh your mind. Go on a vacation with your family, go hiking on weekends, or do something else rather than creating art. When you come back to your art studio, you will have more ideas and motivation.
Take Good Care of Your Mind and Body
Take care of your mind and body because they will affect your art results. There are different ways to have a healthy lifestyle that you can try as below:
- Eat healthy food
- Do exercises for at least 10 minutes every day
- Sleep and get up early
- Do not consume processed food and drink
- Say no to drugs and additives
- Practice meditation daily
- Do yoga to sketch your body and calm your breath
- Read books to expand your knowledge
Try Different Mediums and Art Styles to Activate Your Creativity
Trying different art mediums and styles can activate your creativity. Allow you to try and have fun with a new material. For example, if you are a watercolor artist, you can try drawing a rose with a pencil or creating a simple sculpture from mud. You don’t need to be good at everything, and it is okay if your work of art sucks when you just try it the first time.
Enrich Your Art References
Enrich your art reference stock so you can get inspiration for your paintings or drawings. This can be done by saving pins on Pinterest, taking photos of things and people you see, and quickly sketching what you observe when you commute. Your references can be photos of people, animals, landscapes, objects, or images of other artists’ works.
Change up Your Art Space
Changing your art space can trigger the brain to work differently. You can simply rearrange your art studio, decorate it with your artwork, or go out sometimes to have a different environment.
If you have procrastinated to create art, think about setting up your space so it takes less effort to sit down and paint. For example, clean your palette and brushes and put them near the canvas so next time you can just start painting.
Socialize with Other Artists
As social beings, we need to connect with others. Create or join a weekly or monthly event so you can meet other artists, exchange ideas, and create art together. Socializing with others helps you feel connected and brainstorm ideas to help your art and your art business. It is also a good chance to get honest feedback from people.
The Takeaway
It is okay to have an art block. When you understand the reasons why you feel unmotivated or uninspired to create art, you can find a way to get out of the art block. The ten ideas shared in this blog post will help you avoid or overcome a creative hut.
You can start right away with these different watercolor ideas or learn how to create a watercolor wheel.
Sign up for my newsletter to get more tips via email!
