‘Brickhead!’

Once upon a time, there was an artist who was so eager to make art. He just really loves how he can pour his creativity from his imagination to a single piece of paper. Almost everyday, he made at least one new piece of art. Gradually, although minimal, an improvement to his work was seen due to his eagerness to draw, because that was just what he did. Draw. Draw. Draw.

Until one day, he suddenly stopped making art. It was like a fallen brick crashed to his head, making his mind blank. He did not know what to do. He did not know what to draw. He did not know what was happening to him. Finally, someone told him what was happening to him. It was a curse. A curse that was happening to every single artist out there. What was the name of the curse? It was Art Block.

Art block happens when an artist is incapable of making art due to having difficulty tapping on their creativity. It was like their creativity switch was turned off, on which their artistic capability was coming. Art block is the counterpart of writer’s block, wherein an author is having difficulties continuing their written works, so art block is very much real as every artist experiences it at least once. There are a lot of reasons why an artist goes to that state, but breaking out in that state is actually not that hard. Here are some of the things an artist can do to overcome art block, coming from an amateur artist.

Get Inspirations

Lacking creative juices is one of the fears of an artist, aside from lacking materials. Artists make art through their imaginative minds, so if an artist’s imagination will not work, an art will not be finished or even started. In order for your imagination gears to start working again, get some inspiration.

Find a reference. You can always find different references on the internet. Just search the right words and you can find a suitable reference for your next work. Look at the works of your favorite artists. What are their styles? What are their aesthetics? Get some ideas that you can put on your next work. Go outside. There are a lot of things on the outside that can be a material for an art that you are making. From the streets, nature, to the people, those things can be helpful to you. There are a lot of places and situations that can be your inspiration, so do not stop finding those.

Try New Things

As said earlier, one of the fears of an artist was the lack of materials. Yes, an artist can very much do masterpieces with just a piece of pencil, but an artist with an art block greatly needs to see a lot of materials that will inspire them to work. Nevertheless, an artist can have an experience with every piece of art materials out there, but they only have at least one to two specialties and they have their own art styles. However, if they feel stumped on what they are comfortable with, well it is time to try new things.

Do you feel that your pencil works are getting consistent? Then try a different medium. There are a lot of art materials that an artist can use. Colored pencils, watercolors, different types of paints like acrylic or oil paints, oil pastels, and more. Those are just a few of the materials that can help an artist to do an art. Also, if you are a traditional artist, try switching to digital and vice versa. Explore a different type of art that is the opposite of what you are using. The thing with artists, their capabilities grow infinitely, so there is a chance that the ‘new’ thing that you are using might be your fated one.

Step out of your comfort zone. There are a lot of different art styles out there. Following your own art style is good for an artist, because it is like their own signature and they have their own identity. However, trying different styles can be beneficial to you, as you can always incorporate those in your own works.

Study. Learn. Practice

Failure and imperfections were also a reason why an artist is having an art block. As they do different artworks, their fear of making mistakes gets ahead of them, which then leads them to stop making art. So what can an artist do? It is simple.

Study different styles that can help your next work. You can also study the works of your favorite artists. If you are into portraits, you can study anatomy or anything that is related to your works. Learn different techniques. There are a lot of techniques in making art. Finally, Practice what you have learned and studied. You can use a reference, a tutorial, or a step-by-step procedure. Trace your references if you want, if it will help you.

However, an artist should always remember that in art, there are no failures. There are only finished works and unfinished works. For every finished work, no matter how ugly it is in your eyes, it is just a stepping stone to your progress.

Challenge Yourself

In order to push yourself in your own little bubble, your comfort zone, do something that is new to you. Challenge yourself by doing something unique, unexpected, and shocking, that other people will not think of you doing. Also, join different challenges. One of the most popular art challenges out there was the Inktober, which happens on every October of the year. It was a challenge of making an artwork out of ink, everyday, connected to the words on every day. There are also different challenges that artists do themselves and you can just always do those. Lastly, as an artist, you can also do your own challenge, a challenge that will really make you feel challenged. This will greatly help any artist finding what they enjoy and exploring other things they do not know.

Rest

Nothing can really help an artist that is currently in an art block state than resting. As mental and physical exhaustion are the main reasons an artist experiences art block, it is best for them to take a breather and relax. Forcing yourself to do something that is not fulfilling for you will just make you hate it rather than enjoy it. Doing art should be an enjoyment to every artist out there, and it should be a great way to relieve stress, not add stress.

Focus on your different hobbies, that of course will make you happy. Go outside and take a walk. Talk with your friends and share stories with them. Then if you already feel that you are ready to draw again, you can just always come back.

These are just some of the ways on how to handle and overcome art block, that is guaranteed by a certain amateur artist. According to that artist’s favorite youtuber/artist Scott Christian Sava, there are no rights and wrongs in art. Just art. So you can just do what you want to do, at your own pace and at your own style. Let yourself grow as an artist and do not be afraid of that little curse that will make you a brickhead.