How to Break Your Creative Curse -- guest blogger Lisa Collins

I am on a roll!  This blog is actually writing itself (har har) which is lucky since I've had a bit of a creative block lately-- have I mentioned that?  I found one remedy to not exactly knowing what I want to write:  Welcome, guest blogger, Lisa Collins! 

 I missed you!

I've been in more of a playing the Sims and reading Sookie Stackhouse mood but then I found my favorite pen which has been missing for months and I was so happy that I drew some stuff which I am going to post at some other time because I'm hogging up Lisa's guest post. 

How to Break Your Creative Curse

 

Every artist experiences a creative block once in their lives. You may be stuck right this minute, and not have a clue what to put on that large blank canvas which is lurking in your living room. Well, the good news is that there are ways to push and trigger your imagination and doing some very simple tasks can be hugely rewarding. Also, due to the rise in social media and apps that technology provides us with, we are now able to freely look at other people’s inspiration with just a click of the button. Be it photography, graphic design, painting or a sketch – the internet can also give you lots of ideas.

 

Go out of town

We all want to escape our everyday reality, catch a plane to a faraway island in the middle of nowhere once in a while. Some spend many hours dreaming of being on a remote beach in the Caribbean, sipping a Pina Colada whilst getting lost in their favorite Jackie Collins novel. Indulging in a luxurious cruise for two may be more your thing, and there are cruises suited to more artistic types which actually involve doing creative activities.  If you are the adventurous holiday maker, then visiting somewhere more active may trigger your creativity; climbing Mount Everest or visiting Niagara Falls may be just the thing to inspire you. Whatever your ideal holiday destination is, as long as you are somewhere different from your normal everyday routine, there is a chance of being inspired. So, this summer, book a holiday or just take small road trip with a few friends, but make sure you bring your sketch pad.

 

Meet someone new

Meeting new people is always a good way to get out of a rut, and take your mind off the lack of ideas you have been experiencing. Take the time to speak to someone new at work, at your yoga class on a Saturday morning or at the gym. You may be really surprised on the effects of doing something different and not staying inside your shell. Being a tormented artist isn't always the best idea. 

 

Take a walk

It’s so simple, and more importantly, it’s free. Go for a short or long walk and you may find your surroundings make you creative and want to go home and create a masterpiece. Exercise is also a brilliant way of releasing stress.  Whether it's because of work or your boyfriend keeps forgetting to put the toilet seat down and help with the dishes, stress can be a creative killer. It may sound drastic, but if your body is under pressure or worried, it can really dampen your art life (and other things, which we won't go into right now). Going for a run, jog, or riding your bike around the block could also so the trick. 

 

Get in touch with nature

Many artists tend to feel a connection to nature because it can draw out your imagination and make you feel grounded and primal. A simple image of a bird, a tree or a flower can make you want to take out your pen and draw. Nature is a great way to be inspired.

 

Listen to music

Music is another channel to creativity. As an artist we often forget how other forms of art can help our work. Listening to some classical numbers from Mozart or Beethoven can be very therapeutic and if this is something you haven’t tried then you must try it once. Listening to new things is a great way of triggering emotions  that we sometimes do not realize we even have. If 80s music is more your thing, then try putting on some Madonna and see if it helps budge the creative block.

 

Bake some cakes

Cooking and baking is a great way to use your senses and be creative. You don't have to be a top chef, but try a new recipe or bake a new cake and experiment with some ingredients. What is the worst thing that can happen? It may taste disgusting and you may have to throw it away, or you may have discovered a winning recipe to share with your friends over your next dinner party. Taste your food, and let the smells and your taste buds help you choose what to do next. You never know - it may inspire you to do and create something else. Remember, art comes in many forms and cooking the perfect dinner or baking some delicious cookies may be your next big creation.

 

Try a blank canvas

Finally, having a blank canvas in front of you with no boundaries on what the outcome must be can be a great way to let loose and break your normal artistic pattern. If you normally draw or paint portraits then break the mold and splash some brightly colored paints around for a bit and see if this gives you other ideas. You may hate it and bin it straight away – or you may love it and hang it on your wall. You have to start somewhere, so don’t put too many restrictions on what you just do.

Of course, there are other more drastic measures which people would recommend to artists for creative block, but none legal. Drinking a good glass of wine, or three, can help relax the mind too but every artist is different. The best thing to remember if you are struggling to put your art on paper is to take a few days off, do some new things, and see how you feel when your mind is clearer. The more you stress out yourself, the more likely it is that you will make it worse.

Thanks so much Lisa, those are all excellent suggestions.  Some of my own remedies for creative block (that I haven't done) are to go back and look at your UFOs.  Sometimes looking at a piece you've set aside brings back the inspiration you had for it when you started.  Another thing that I sometimes do (and yes I need to take my own advice) is to make some fanart, usually of the Harry Potter persuasion but it's not limited to that.  With fanart, you've got your subject matter already built in.   "Agh!  I don't know what to draw" can be redirected to "Agh!  How do I get Hermione's hair just right?"  and you're off!

Inadvertently Inverted

Sometimes I sketch something and I don't really like it all that much.  I liked the bold lines of this and the fan-flowers but this sketch went ignored for some time.  I always thought it was too un-balanced.  It's all spiky on one side, bubble round on the other.

I've scanned most of my old notebook into my laptop.  When I'm scouting around for inspiration, I'll open one of these scans in Photoshop to see what I can do with it or what elements from it I might use.  By accident, I inverted this sketch and it looked so different--wow!  After deleting the black negative space around the drawing it looked like a stamp or a woodcut and now  I really like it.  I moved some of the smaller paisly elements around and rotated things to spread it out a bit.  I'm still fiddling with it but it's going to be a toile or batik design. 

New Thing

Update!  3-23-10
Color added (see below) a la Spoonflower's Art Nouveau Fabric of the Week contest.  Vote for my design!

On paper is usually where my textile design ideas are born.  Photoshop makes it clean and symmetrical. But sometimes the asymmetrical and humanly flawed is more appealing I think. I've been thinking a lot about the Art Nouveau style a lot.  It's fancy without being overwhelming like Rococco and there's the element of the organic about it.

"Objets Nouveau"

Unfinished Business

A To Do List

My friends and family often ask "What are you working on?" Often, the answer is this blog, networking, some more networking...I think a fairer question might be "What are you NOT working on?" I have a whole host of unfinished projects. Some of them only still in the "Yeah, I ought to do that!" stage. There is that old joke that goes around about Dr. Phil saying you ought to finish things to feel a sense of accomplishment--then the writer goes on to say she finished a whole bottle of tequila, a box of Godiva chocolate, a novel she's been reading etc. But all joking aside, once I took a bit of inventory, I realized--Dang! I've got lots of unfinished business!
First, and most avoided on this list is the tidying up of my sewing room. Right now 75% of the stuff in there is Christmas decor that needs to be sorted and put away. Usually I go in there to get supplies. After clambering over mountains of stuff, I grab my scissors/pens/thread and hightail it out of there. That room is pretty overwhelming. I don't know where to start with it so I don't.


There are so many cool ideas I get from the internet (maybe I ought to stay offa there?) I found this cute skirt pattern by Oliver & S on the mmmcrafts blog. You use a ribbon for the hem, it's really simple and so cute! I'm going to make one for my daughter out of this pink frog fabric, hopefully before summer has come and gone.

I saw this really neat diy bind your own mini book tutorial--can't find the link to that so I am improvising. I found these charming grommets at Wal-mart and the covers are going to be made of a recycled cardboard box. I'll glue some of my original art over them to make it paisleyfied. If it comes out half decent I'll offer them in my Etsy store.

There are projects I started long ago and forgot about; it's been buried under other stuff I forgot about. I started this ladybug beanbag chair (also for my daughter) before Christmas. Perhaps I'll get it done for her birthday....

Another vague idea I had was felt appliques--they look great if they're done right and you can sew them on clothes or purses or whatever. This is an attempt that I've made at one. It needs some tweaking. I also took a stab at sewing in a circle which you can see if you look very closely at the denim piece in the corner. Not sure what I'll do with that but it's got potential!

Recently, I discovered ACEOs. This stands for Art Cards Editions and Orignals. They're the same size (and idea) as baseball cards only instead of athletes, you put your own artwork on them. I just bought one from TRMack Studio just to see what a good one looks like and because it is an easy way to purchase some great artwork without paying a small fortune. I'll be offering these and more ACEOs in my Etsy Shop too.

Found these two shirts at Goodwill. The one in front I HAD to buy. I really can't resist anything periwinkle. It's a sickness. My plan is to paint some small paisleys on them using this freezer paper technique I found on Celtic Mommy's blog.

Sometimes I know when I should just leave the creating to people who do it really well. I had been toying with the idea of making a polymer clay covered pen for myself. I really wanted a paisley one (did I mention that I like paisley?) But then I found Silver Fairy Creations Etsy shop and she does a great job. The one on top (guess which one) I had custom made--isn't it cool?

So I have my work cut out for me don't I? (At least I got to the cutting out stage!) Now the next thing to do is decide which project to finish first.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and good luck with finishing all your own To Dos :)