It is 2018! Happy Belated New Year! How have you been fairing? Are you still keeping up with your resolutions for the new year? I know that I have broken quite a few, but don’t get discouraged, hang in there and things will eventually work themselves out. Speaking of working themselves out, a lot of things have been happening all over the world as of late. There has been a lot of violence, a lot of historic Olympic triumphs as well as major box office victories to name a few. As for me, I’m afraid that I’ve become a bit of a hermit,… again. Not because I do it purposefully, but mainly out of fear of my work not coming out right or being rejected. Yes, ladies and germs, I am dealing with the deadly virus known as artist block. Sadly a lot of artists/people have gone through these kinds of changes throughout their lifetime. I just wish that there was an easier to deal with. So for a while, I have been starting and restarting,… and restarting new images and struggling through new ideas until finally, I decided that enough was enough damn it! I needed to try something new.

Dabbling in uncharted waters!

I really, REALLY wanted to work in watercolor, but have always struggled with creating pieces traditionally. Wait,… is that weird? Has anyone else struggled with this phenomenon? I feel that when a person draws, it shouldn’t matter what form they work in; but, for some ungodly reason, my brain always just up and quits on me. Every single damn time! It frustrates me, but I guess I feel that once I place any mark on my paper, especially when it comes to wet media, once it dries, it’s insta-permadeath. It’s literarily the fear of making a mistake that can never be corrected.

Super crazy, right?

As an artist, I know that I shouldn’t have this morbid fear of making mistakes or stumbling upon happy accidents. I get it. I sorely get it. Even in high school and college, you learn that the only way to truly learn is to make mistakes, learn from our errors and find ways to improve. Sounds all great in theory, but when put into practice, it literarily sucks giant, massive dildo monkey balls.

This constant fear, this constant self-loathing, this constant Merry-Go-Round Tilta Whirl! All of these constants have been bombarding my mind for months now. I get a great idea. It plops in my head. I get excited, I drudge out my battered sketchbook and begin drawing. Things are going swimmingly and then all of a sudden, good ‘ol artist block creeps in like an unwanted telemarketer.  Eventually, you have to find a way to block/ignore their evasive calls and empty promises of great deals and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Just like unwanted ads that lead to harmful malware, we have to carefully weave our way around pessimistic thoughts that can also lead to harmful artist block. It takes time to see the signals but once we become attuned to the dangers and what they look like, it becomes a bit easier.

Take things one step at a time

What makes it easier for me to keep going is to take things one step at a time. Sure there are days when I can’t draw. It sucks and I absolutely hate it. Real life gets in the way. My nine to five is mentally/physically stressful; this, that or the other gets in the way. I hear you. Wholeheartedly, without a doubt.

So what can be done to turn this artist block around?

The trick is not to dwell on the mistakes or all the reasons why you suck for not moving forward faster. This pessimism will lead straight to artist block and defeat. Some of us do not have the luxury to do art full time. But if you can work on your art just a little bit, even if it’s 5 minutes, then just do that. That’s literarily five more minutes than the day before, and on the days you can do more, then, by all means, do more!

What has truly helped me in seeing an instant improvement in my art, was taking pictures of my work in progress each night. This way, I am able to look at what was done by the end of the week and see just how much progress was really made. Sure, it’s not a completed work from start to finish, but you can truly appreciate the work that has been done.

Another tip is to take notes on things that can be changed for next time. I would start with five things (or less) that you really want to work on, but don’t go all crazy giving yourself something that will be impossible to complete. Just be honest with yourself and really think about how much time you truly have and go from there. This will give you a head start on what needs to get done with satisfying results.

DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!!

For those of you who are struggling through your artist blocks, I wish you a safe passage on your journey. Just hang in there. My struggle is not your struggle and vice versa, but with time, dedication, and patience we can surely get through this! For me, it’s easier to shut my eyes and hide away until I make something that I am happy with, but by the time that happens, months and years had passed. Deeply discouraging! So, don’t let that happen to you! Keep moving forward and I’ll see you next time.