3 Steps to take When You Are Stopped by Artist’s Block!

let’s talk about artist’s block. It is actually very common, so don’t feel singled out, you are not alone. I did a little bit of research on it and I found some interesting things…

I found four common reasons for artist’s block.

1. Stress or Unhappiness. If you’re not happy, or you are totally stressed out that can lead to artist’s block. When I am unhappy, first thing I check to see is if I am hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. (HALT) These are things that can cause a lot of stress.
2.  Ideas are Incubating. You have a lot of things going on in your head, you could be trying to think of something new you want to try.
3.  An abundance of Ideas. When you have so many great ideas swirling around in your head, sometimes it is hard to pull just that one idea out, so you can work on it. This can be very distracting. It’s kind of like the squirrels and objects thing…squirrel! Squirrel! Boom! Distracted!
4.  Fear of Being Imperfect. I think this one may hit most of us more than the others. The fear of being imperfect can be extremely choking!  For instance, drawing a portrait. That is the crown jewel of anyone trying to draw. When we fail at that, and we will fail, it is embarrassing to post a failure, because it shows a weakness. So, fear of imperfection is a major cause of artist’s block. I say, “Embrace Fear”. Tackle your fear, embrace it and move on from there! Realize that fear is simply a line in the sand. You can choose to let that line stop you, or you can step over it and move on from there. Remember, Talent is Common, Perseverance is Not! Let your perseverance guide your talent to a great piece of artwork!

Let's look at some solutions 

1. The first step in solving artist block is:  Tell somebody. Let’s solve your artists block over coffee. Send me an email and let’s talk about it. ( I mean this)
2. The second step is: Don’t break the chain. The second step in solving artist blocks starts with a story. Someone asked the comedienne Jerry Seinfeld… how he would go about writing better comedy? He said, “Don’t Break the Chain!”.   What he meant by that was every single day he sits down to write, to write a little bit, every single day!  It didn’t matter what he wrote, or the quality of the writing, the fact was…he was writing! He did not Break the Chain! I think as artists, one of the biggest things we can overcome is artist’s block, is to draw a little bit every day.
3. The third step is: Become a robot! “Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work” - Chuck Close The third step is to disregard your feelings and become a robot. Let’s say you want to draw a face better, then set a goal of drawing 25 noses for the next week. Draw 5 noses a day and do it. There is an idea in the Bible called repentance. Repentance is the act of changing the way you think or do something. It is almost like walking in the opposite direction. That is what I am saying, change your direction. Don’t trust how you feel, instead disregard it, ignore it and draw your 25 noses. Become a robot. When you finish your 25 noses, email me and tell me what you did.

Use this link to sign up for my FREE beginners drawing class. I will teach you the five key objects, so you can draw almost anything.

This is Kurt, and I’m a Dad Who Draws. Go Make Your Day Great!