10 Ways to Stay Motivated for Artists

Staying motivated is hard at times. When you are painting everyday you can get sidetracked, there are distractions, plus you find it difficult to decide what to paint next, or you are just not motivated or in the mood.

Let's go over 10 ways to get motivated to start painting again..

1. What happens is you want to paint but the thought of getting a spot ready deters you, you may have to clean the dinning room table, take everything out that you need to paint with, and that could take an hour in itself. Get a painting space all to yourself, it's very exciting having your own space you can call your art studio, and then you can lay everything out you need, so when you get in the mood you just go to your room and start.
2. Surround yourself with beautiful pictures, art books, and the paintings you already did. Hang them on the wall where you can see them in your art studio. Watch painting tutorials by artists like Bob Ross, and others, to help get you inspired.
3. A great way to get motivated is to do FREE paintings and sketches for your family as gifts for Christmas, birthdays, etc. and because family appreciates your work, they will encourage and inspire you to paint.
4. Instead of painting a full landscape, seascape, a bunch of flowers, several pieces of fruit, a person, or an animal, practice one subject at time until you are comfortable with that subject. For example you could try clouds until you decide what brush to use, and the best technique that you like, then move on to grass. Paint different ways of painting grass with different brushes, and so on, as for animals practice fur, eyes, then the whole animal.
5. Buy new supplies, new brushes, mediums, paints, canvas, easel, and frames. It's very exciting to try new paints that are different brands to see how they behave with new brushes and different sizes and shapes. Or a new camera is always nice to have to take pictures of your paintings.
6. Go to art galleries. When you see the beautiful paintings on the walls, you will want to rush home and start to paint. Or you will want to learn how to paint like those artists, and you will be inspired and excited to start your next painting.
7. Take a walk to your favorite park and take pictures. There is nothing more inspiring than nature itself. There is so much beauty around you, and when you spend a day at the park, you will be anxious to get home and look at your photos so you can pick one to paint.
8. Taking art classes is a fun and exciting way to get motivated. Being around like-minded people is a great way to get motivated. Ask lots of questions; you can go to classes that are just for learning to paint, or you can go to a paint night with your friends or family...
9. Enter online art contests. You will want to do a beautiful painting in hopes to win, and if you don't win at least it was great practice, and it gave you an excuse to paint.
10. Do commissioned art work, charge a small fee, until you get enough confidence to charge more. This would be after you did paintings for you family, they may tell their friends about you. Word of mouth is the best way to spread the news that you do commissioned art.

When you practice and find your style, you will be motivated all the time. For many years, just sitting in your studio and painting just for you is great, but it's like a singer who wants to sing. After all the hard work and practice the singer wants an audience, the singer wants to share their love of singing with the world, and it's not any different for artists. It's a big world out there, and it's at our fingertips like never before.

So go paint and have fun, share your love of painting with the world through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and lots more. Get your own website, or blog, maybe even teach a few classes, and start sharing your knowledge with the world...

Allison Prior