Why Art Block Makes You a Better Artist 🍂

Throughout my artist journey I've often struggled with periods in which I felt super demotivated to paint, or even if I tried to paint, everything that I'd make would come out very bad or not at all like what I had envisioned. I think this is something every artist or person in a creative field can relate to, and this past month I was really struggling to create something, let alone something, I was actually happy with. I think in the past I had so much trouble with motivating myself to paint or doing something about it whenever I felt this way. But recently I've come to find that having art or artist block is actually one of the best things that can happen to an artist, at least to me. Now I know the feeling of art block really sucks a lot, especially when you do want to create something but you either don't know what or you don't like anything you're making at that time. But I want to explain how I personally deal with art block and why I think that going through this process is very important for you as an artist and ultimately helps you in the long run. And this is just how I personally look at it after struggling to deal with it for quite some time now. Maybe these things are already quite obvious, but maybe this helps you just a little bit whenever you're in a creative stump. Now the first thing is to get out of your regular routine. I touched on this a little bit in my last video, but for me it's very easy to get stuck behind my desk in my room, which is where I always paint. But actually going outside and painting or just sketching things that are around you can really help to open up your mind and take a little bit of the pressure off that you might be putting onto yourself. Whenever I start a painting, I immediately get very focused, but sometimes when I have that specific vision, I can get so stuck on the details that I'm just in tunnel vision and I can't move forward. Whenever this happens, I find it best to not just give up, but actually see this as an opportunity to try something different. For me, painting outside completely shifts my mindset. I have to work much faster and there are no distractions. Painting anything around you or painting things you don't usually tend to paint, however small they may be, helps you gain a new perspective on things and helps you learn so so much. It also often inspires you for new paintings, even if you're not looking for inspiration. Even though I wasn't able to make a painting I liked on this day, just being around nature and trying to capture its vastness and complexity really inspired me for my next big painting, which I'll show you a little bit later in this video. And even though I made like 3 painting attempts that were all unsuccessful, pushing through this phase and just continuously making bad paintings is just what you have to do in order to know what makes a successful painting and what does not. This helps you to learn about colors, your technique and composition, and you take all of that with you and apply that to future paintings, which only speeds up your learning process and your improvement as an artist. And with making bad paintings also comes trying again and again. Now I know how difficult it can be to keep the motivation when you hate everything you're making, especially when you've been working at the same painting for quite a while and it just keeps getting worse and worse. Whenever you notice you're spending hours on a painting that you already know is just not working out, it's better to just start over. With this portrait for example, I was already spending way too much time trying to fix the values and the shadows, to the point of just always reworking areas over and over again. It's very easy to feel defeated and just give up, but self-discipline is very important whenever you're going through art block. You just have to keep trying over and over again to see improvement. So even though I'd already made several failed attempts to get out of this rut, I just tried again. But this time, to switch it up just a little bit, I approached this study as more of a to relieve that pressure I put on myself to make a really great painting and just to be able to create without any expectations. And I think it already turned out just a little bit better. Doing things that are completely unrelated to anything creative as a sort of break is also very helpful and important to get out of that artist block. Especially when you just feel like you've reached your limit with painting or anything creative for example. I had my birthday last month which kind of happened in the middle of my creative slump and it was just so nice to do something completely different. Even if it's just going on a walk or grabbing some food or drink or just doing something with your friends. Often during that time you will find inspiration around you that will inspire new ideas, even in the most unexpected of places. Whenever I'm out I usually find something that inspires me to paint again, even if it's going to the flower market and seeing a beautiful rose that is just waiting to be painted. Looking at other artists that inspire you or just reading about old masters and really looking and studying their paintings will help you so so much with your own paintings as well. I love looking at art books and reading about the history of some artists or stories behind their works and just seeing how they use color and brush strokes to depict all kinds of different things. I always immediately get some sort of inspiration to start painting again and looking through these books also help to give me an idea for my next painting. Doing master studies of the paintings you love and admire, even if they are just some small sketches, will help you so so much. Not only can they teach you a lot about composition, colors and technique, but they are also very nice to do if you are dealing with art block because it is essentially just copying something that has already been done, so you already know what it is you're going to make. So I highly, highly recommend doing more of them. Getting out of your regular routine, making bad paintings over and over again, pushing yourself to paint even if you don't feel like it, taking breaks and coming back again with fresh eyes and a fresh mind, it all helps you become that much better of an artist. It makes you face your mistakes from which you can only learn so much and improve. Having art block pushes you, or me at least, to go experiment and it helps you look at things differently and your art can only go up from there. And doing and going through all of this usually paves the path, however slow and non-linear it might be, to your next great painting or any creative work you may do. Painting in nature, being outside, seeing old masterworks that depict nature and all of these women in beautiful, romantic dresses and settings, and seeing the summer slowly shift into fall, finally inspired me for a more concrete painting idea. My beautiful friend Denise agreed to be my model and we caught one of the last warm days of summer right before autumn really set in, so it really was the perfect day for the theme of this painting. I also made a mood board with paintings and artists I really admire and that kind of set the mood for this transitional piece between summer and autumn. Even with all the struggles and difficulties that come with artist block, it is so important that you just keep going. Even if the things I mention in this video don't work for you or you have your own way of doing things, never giving up is really the key. Painting, drawing or whatever creative thing you do can be very difficult at times, but these moments also create an opportunity for you to push your limits and help you be the best artist you can be. And with doing all of this, you'll find yourself making even better paintings than before or discovering new inspirations and ideas. I hope some of these things I mentioned helped you or inspired you just a little bit to keep creating in some way, even if you don't feel like doing it. I'll continue to work on this piece and I hope to see you all again soon. Thank you so so much for watching and being here, it truly means the world to me.