Beating the Blank Page Blues
A notebook can be very useful in times like these. You could use a sketchbook, but don't try to make it formal. Use a small book that you can keep handy, and start making notes and small sketches in any odd moment. It doesn't have to be Important Thoughts and Great Paintings. The small things matter, too. Sometimes more than we realize.
If you are able to make some time to be creative, but find yourself with 'artist's block', it might be that your 'usual' art style doesn't fit with what is going on in your life. Consider breaking away from your usual style, and making a picture about your current life. What one thing really worries you? What is absorbing your time and energy? You could draw a picture or series of pictures about it.
A strategy often used by writers is to 'just write'. To give yourself permission to be truly awful, sit down and start writing. Once you get the awful stuff out of your system, the good words start to flow. 'You can't edit a blank page', as the saying goes. Art can work the same way. When you're out of the habit of making images, it can be hard to know where to start. Once you start getting some lines on the page, they seem to take on a life of their own, and before you know it, you're inspired. I often use collage as a way to kickstart my creativity. Vintage scraps, fragments of text, an interesting photo - whatever catches my eye.
Check out this article on artist's block for more ideas to help you get working again.
If you're like me, and can't seem to find space and time to draw between kids craft projects, housekeeping and unfinished paperwork, you might need to go get some Housekeeping tips or maybe try some Feng Shui to improve the energy in your home.
Comments
Thank you for the article. I run into some tough time lately and I was begun to think maybe I lost my creativity and I found your article helpful. I felt the same way about worrying about the lost time never think it could be a valuable experience. Thank you for the idea and making me feel better about give my self permission. I will try the idea you name.
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Yes, it is true even males can be overwhelmed by monumental tasks, like doing the laundry, cleaning house, along with a multitude of other things. So, it is always good to know that there is hope out there in the great beyond.
That’s true, Wayne. My husband certainly does his share of domestic tasks, and I know a couple of stay-at-home dads. Though of course, for many women and men, it will be work and commuting that take their time, so perhaps I should find some time management and business efficiency links, too.