When a Canvas Stares at you Blankly
8 ways to get moving when you feel stuck.
I’m starring at a blank canvas.
Every minute that sneaks by, I feel more and more perturbed.
I finally make the time to work in my studio….and this is what I do?
The lies we tell ourselves:
-I’ll never decide what to do this time.
-This one will really stink.
-Why did I think I could do this?
Tears fill my eyes, and I can’t believe I’m crying over a canvas.
When did something so white and square become a monster?
And then it hits me — The blank canvas is not the enemy. The enemy is me.
Soon, I change what I’m telling myself. Just do something. Anything.
I pick up my paint brush and start finishing details on a different piece.
I feel at ease again. I can breathe. Working on something small was the trick.
Everyone gets stuck sometimes.
If you’re struggling with “Artist’s block,” you are NOT alone.
Most, if not all artists, struggle with this at one time or another. I know I do.
But instead of focusing on what you are not getting done, and feeling like you’re falling behind, do something small.
Here are 8 ways to get moving when you feel stuck.
1. Give yourself permission to play
“It is when I find myself playing more than trying that I find my way out of a block.” — Aris Moore
Take out your sketchbook and just draw lines. Your sketchbook is the safest place to create. You can do your ugliest drawing and no one is going to judge it. You’ll find the pressure to make something great is off, and that will move you forward when you start to feel paralyzed.
If you don’t have access to a sketchbook, mess around on cheap paper, a notebook, or cardboard. Sometimes when I’m using more expensive materials, it prevents me from really playing around, because I’m too concerned I might mess it up and waste good paper.
I give myself permission to just make for the sake of making without any thought to the outcome… What I would tell my younger self is this:
There is no “right” way to make art.
2. Time yourself 20 minutes
“Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” -Chuck Close
“If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you.” — Chuck Close
Start working on something, but time yourself for 20 minutes. Sometimes when my timer goes off, I don’t want to stop. It’s a small step that can get me in the zone. Telling myself I have to work on something for 4 hours defeats me. Twenty minutes is less daunting.
And don’t overthink this, just start.
An art teacher once told me, “Paint one stroke a day.”
As you can imagine, that surprised me till she further explained, “Well, it might lead to another stroke and another…but you have to start with one.”
3. Go for a walk
In the movie Music and Lyrics, Drew Barrymore experiences writer’s block as she tries to write lyrics to Hugh Grant’s piano melody.
“Just spit it out,” Hugh tells her. But nothing is coming to her.
“Let’s go for a walk,” she finally says.
On their way to a coffee shop, as they talk about something completely different, the words start coming to her all because of one sentence she says, “It’s like you’re living with shadow overhead…”
For me, ideas usually come when I’m moving around. Walking lets my brain breathe. I like walking with music, or going for a quiet stroll to let my mind wander. When I had to come up with twenty drawings for one assignment, it helped me to process ideas while I took a long walk.
4. Listen to music
When I’m listening to music, I enjoy drawing in my sketchbook. I’ll turn off my brain and just draw all kinds of lines, it doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not.
Sometimes I’ll even get ideas for photos just by listening to music; I start seeing images in my mind.
5. Go someplace else
Maybe you need a change of scenery to get your creative juices flowing. Escape the four walls of your studio. Go to a garden or a park, a cemetery. Or maybe the woods or even your back yard.
Or do you get energy by being around people? Go to a coffee shop. Walk around a mall. A different environment can help refresh your brain as well as sharpen all your senses.
6. Move on to a new piece
I often remind myself, I don’t have to finish the piece I’m working on if I am not in the mood. If it’s frustrating, I put it off to the side and move onto a new piece.
“…Some of the biggest bursts of creativity and artistic growth I’ve had are usually preceded by a big creative block.” — Ashley Goldberg
One time I was working on a charcoal, self portrait. As I looked at the photo I used I got frustrated because there were parts that were unclear to me. And if I couldn’t see it clearly, how in the world could I draw it?
Frustrated, I took the piece off the wall where I was working on it. That was it for the day.
The next night I told myself to be loose. Feeling uptight and drawing are not a good combination. Grabbing a paint brush and some black ink, I started with loose strokes. One large stroke after another. To my surprise, the drawing poured itself onto the paper, and I actually finished it that night. And it was one of my favorites.
Now imagine if hadn’t given myself permission to start a new piece. I don’t even want to think about it.
7. Switch your medium
I have many interests — drawing, photography, painting, video, sculpture. I used to think I needed to focus on one thing and stay with it for a while. But I’ve come to realize it’s good to do all kinds of things interchangeably. When I got of drawing, I’d grab my camera. When I got tired of painting, I worked on editing a trailer for a book.
8. Change your self-talk
Don’t say: “I have to know what I’m doing.”
Say this instead: “I can draw whatever I want.”
Don’t Say: “It has to be a good idea.”
Say this instead: “My ideas can turn into great ones.”
Don’t say: “This has been done to death.”
Say this instead: “No one has seen my rendition of this.”
I’ve learned making decisions is hard for me. Sometimes I make myself choose something and then make myself finish it.
My mom once told me,
“You love color, but you think in black and white.” Anne Peterson
Instead I’ve learned a trick. When I’m indecisive about which piece to make, I tell myself, “Which piece will I make first?” Then I know in the back of my mind I’m not abandoning the other idea, I’m just delaying when I create it.
What about you?
Do you ever struggle with creative blocks?
What are some things you have tried?
What has been helpful, and what has NOT worked?
I’d love to hear from you.
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