Why am I stuck?
A lot of people tell me they are stuck creatively. They are stuck for so many reasons. The creative process is different for everyone but here are some questions I’ve been asked about creating & some tips that may help you about “stuck-ed-ness”…
Q: I am stuck. How/where do I start?
A: The hardest part is starting. Do you have everything you need to get started? Do you have paints, canvas, brushes? Do you have a good laptop to write, a favourite pen and pad of paper to write on? Do you have space to dance it out? A nook to write? This is not just just for artists. It’s for any creative process. If you have the right tools you need to create, and a designated area to do the thing, it is easier to get started. If your space is always warm and ready, you are more likely to start because you have removed that one starting barrier. Analyze your creative set up. Is your creative space always ready to do? Or do you have to set it up every time you feel inspired? It helps to have the paints all laid out, an easel set up, brushes ready, lots of canvas to choose from. Do you only have one large canvas that has been siting on your easel for weeks or months because you are afraid it has to be perfect? Do you feel you have to choose the perfect subject and you have to get it right? Why not buy 10 different sized canvases and set a goal to paint those 10 canvases in one month? Buy a few different brush sizes, and a few different kinds of paints, put it in your calendar for a block of time you have slotted to create and then get to it!
Q: I am stuck. I paint over my paintings all the time. Is that a good idea?
A: I understand the thought behind painting over things. I’ve done it a lot. However, I think it’s best to just paint another painting rather than painting over something because then you can look back and see your progress. Paint something, then paint another and then another. Work it out by painting more paintings. This goes for writers block too. Write something, then write some more. Don’t crush the paper and start over. You could “start over” 100 times. Why not just just write and write and write until you can’t write anymore. Write if it’s good, write if it’s bad. Just write something. And before you know it you have some good tidbits you can highlight that you will keep.
Q: I am stuck. How do I find my style? I spend lots of time looking online at what others are doing for inspiration and there’s so much out there. I don’t know where to begin?
A: The problem is in the question. Look around for a few ideas, but spending lots of time looking at other artists work only clogs the brain. You get bogged down with thousands of other artists paintings in your head, no wonder you are stuck and don’t know how to find your style. Finding your style and your own true uniqueness in your art only comes out of spending hours painting. You have to put in the time to work it out and it doesn’t come fast or easily. The same goes for songwriting. If you are listening to music all day long everyday, you literally have thousands of other peoples songs in your head so how do you expect to come up wth something original if your brain is full of other artists songs? I write songs when I am out on a walk, driving in silence, or even with the radio turned way down that I can only hear bits and pieces of the music. Be inspired by the bits and pieces and then play. Play with melodies, play with colours, play with brushstrokes, play with movement. It is in the playfulness that you find original ideas. Almost like being a kid again not caring what anyone might think.
Q: I am stuck. I can’t seem to find a whole day to create?
A: My thing is that I don’t wait until I have an entire day to paint. If I wait for that, I will never get any painting done. Life is busy. Paint if you only have 2 hours, or even 30 minutes or 10 minutes. If you truly want to create, you will find the time. We find the time for easier things like watching tv, or reading or going for coffee with a friend or for whatever. Creating is different. It’s a discipline. We want to wait until we feel like it, but if we did everything in our lives until we felt like it, dinners wouldn’t get made, walks wouldn’t be walked and laundry wouldn’t get washed. Create with intention. Create with a goal. “I will paint one thing today”, or “I will paint one thing this week”.
Q: I am stuck. What if I don’t do a good job?
A: Don’t create with the intention of “this is going to be amazing.” Create simply for the love of it. The “amazing” will come with practice and putting hours in. You may have to paint 100 paintings until you get one exceptional one and that’s how it should be. That’s what makes certain pieces special. They can’t all be masterpieces, otherwise, there are no masterpieces at all. And when we are thinking “Will other people like it? or “Will it sell”, it is a barrier. Learn to release and let go and find your joy in your creative process. Create fo YOU and not for anyone else. The Creator gave you the desire to create in the first place and the desire was put there just for YOU and ONLY YOU. Every single human on the planet has an inner creative and only that person can let it come out of them in their own unique way. Creating isn’t about anyone else but YOU.
I hope you find these questions and answers helpful. If you have a question you would like me to answer, send me a message and maybe I will write a blog post about it!
Cheers,
G
