You may be wondering, “What is an art block?”
Art block is when an artist feels like they can’t make art because they can’t get their creativity flowing.
But why do so many people get art blocks?
In this article, we will look into the answer. In addition, we’ll look at:
- Why do artists get stuck
- What makes people stop coming up with new ideas?
- 9 good ways to get your creative juices flowing again
When we’re done, you’ll know what to do the next time you can’t think of a good idea for a piece of art.
Does Art Block Real?
It’s real, yes.
How it shows up in a person’s life will, of course, be different for each person. But, since everyone is different, there is no one way that everyone gets stuck in a creative rut.
Often, the following are signs of art block, which is also called creative block:
- You find it hard to come up with new ideas regularly.
- You don’t have the drive to make something new.
- You find it hard to turn your ideas into works of art.
- You may want to make something or be inspired to make something, but you can’t seem to make it yourself.
- You lose motivation when you don’t want to do anything, so you don’t do anything at all.
Just a few examples are listed above. There could be a lot more reasons, though. But to keep things short, I’ve only discussed some of the most common ones.
Art blocks can last for just one or two days or weeks, or even months.
Everyone’s life is different, and it’s normal sometimes to get stuck in a creative rut. So don’t worry; you’re not the only one.
How to Get Past Artist’s Block?
1. Take A Break
If you don’t know what to write, the best thing to do is to take a break. Easy, right?
Forcing yourself to do something that doesn’t bring you joy or satisfaction isn’t good for you. So, why not take a break from art?
You could do something you enjoy during your break, like reading, listening to music, or doing yoga. You could also do fun things with your family and friends to spend time with them.
Whatever you want to do, ensure it’s something that makes you happy. This short break will help you think of some new ideas.
Just don’t take too long of a break. You’re not even going on vacation! Make sure you have enough time to get back on track, but not so much that you get used to putting things off.
So, when your break is over, set aside time to make art so you can return to making things.
2. Idea Maker for the Art Block
Find an idea generator to suggest themes, subjects, or situations for you to draw. Then, it is simple and fast to solve the problem.
For example, Drawing Prompt comes up with random ideas and situations for you to draw. You need to pick a category and see what comes up.
You might find yourself making art about things you would have never thought to do before.
3. Find Ideas for Drawing
Get or make a list of drawing prompts if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas.
You can do a brief Google search to find a list of prompts or ask your family and friends for ideas. Then, write them down and look at them whenever you want to make art.
If you already have a list of drawing ideas, you are less likely to get tired of making decisions because you already have your ideas. Here are a few ideas to get you going:
- Flowers in a vase
- An adorable cat or dog
- A drawing of a person
- A skyline or urban landscape
- A character in a cartoon
- Something that comes in a bottle
- Sweets and lollipop sticks
- a lot of texture (fur, wood, etc.)
- Patterns that repeat (dots, zigzags, etc.)
- Fruits and vegetables
It is a great way to get past an art block because your list of ideas can include things you know how to draw and things you’ve never drawn before.
Even if it’s hard for you to draw the prompt, make a promise to draw every day for at least 10 minutes. If you do that, you’ll have spent 1 hour and 10 minutes on your art by the end of the week.
4. Do a lot of research on one subject.
This tip is similar to tip #3, but this time we’ll choose one prompt and do a lot of research on that topic.
Say, for instance, that you like to draw princesses.
You could use reference pictures to help you sketch a bunch of your favorite cartoon princesses.
Trees, flowers, animals, food, people, buildings, and cars are also interesting.
You’ll get better at drawing the subject every time you do it. It will be easier to remember how the body is put together—the shape of the face. Clothes can be folded.
When you spend a lot of time learning about one thing, you learn how to draw it well. Then, as you improve, it gets easier and easier to do it again.
5. Create Pictures from Doodles
Start by making squiggles and lines all over a page.
Check out the shapes and lines. What’s there? This activity is just like looking up at the clouds and making different shapes out of them.
You can make shapes into people, places, things, and so on. Have fun with this task, and go crazy.
You’ll soon discover that those simple little lines can be interpreted in many weird and interesting ways.
The greatest thing is that you’ll have a page full of ideas you can use in a new piece of art. So get rid of art block! best
6. Do something different
Try something different if you’re tired of your art or not feeling inspired.
Use something you’ve never used before to make art. For example, if you know how to paint with acrylics but are just starting with watercolor, work on your watercolor skills.
You could also try a different kind of art medium.
Even if you don’t love the new art supply or medium, you’ve still grown as an artist and learned something new.
Even better, you might like that new source or medium!
7. Recreate an Old Work of Art
This method is great because it can give you the motivation to stick to a regular creative schedule. Also, if you don’t have a plan for coming up with ideas, this method could help.
Whenever you are lost or can’t think of anything new, you can look at what you’ve already made. It is a great way to get creative ideas and pass a creative block.
You can see how your technique and skills have improved by redoing an old drawing or painting.
Seeing the change could give you new ideas and make you more creative.
Even if you don’t see much improvement, think about how you would make your old artwork better and then try it.
8. Please do it.
Just do it. I can’t say this enough.
We have to face our problems straight on sometimes. Sure, it might be bad at first because no one wants to do something they don’t want to do. But isn’t it worth a shot if it helps you get past your art block?
For example, you can learn how to set goals to keep you motivated and help you reach your creative goals and projects.
But if you start drawing or painting, you might find that getting started is the hardest part.
After that, it will be easier.
Every piece of art doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Keep a sketchbook for doodles, sketches, and thumbnails, but don’t expect them to be perfect. Let go of the pressure and make something.
9. Use an App for Color
It is an easy and effective way to get your creative juices flowing.
Use an app like Coolers to to find new and interesting color combinations. Try out earth tones, monochrome values, pastels, colors that are similar to each other, and more!
You might get an idea for an art piece based on the color palette you are working with if you try out different color combinations.
You can also use your paints, markers, and pencils to make color charts. You’ll learn more about color theory as you try different things.
Color wheels, palettes, and charts can help you develop new ideas.
Try out different color combinations, shades, and hues to get ideas.
