Often we, as artists, find ourselves meandering down well rehearsed paths.
It’s not that we want to rehash artwork we have done, or want to remake art that is similar to that which we have already made - no there are several reasons for this.
We Have Found Something That Works What better way to create, than in a manner we have found appeals to us? There is nothing wrong with this way - there is nothing boring with this way. It is just a path that we naturally tread down because WE like it or, better yet for the professional or semi-professional, it sells. There are dangers to this, however. We risk being uninventive, falling into dull and lazy practices, and turning our art into something unimaginative and lifeless. This style of art can still sell, and do well, but if we don’t push ourselves, we risk falling into the Habit zone.
We Don’t Know Anything Else Often beginners or those just exploring a medium create images similar to previous renditions, simply because we are still learning. It is said one masters a skill by practicing it for 10,000 hours. That is a large chunk of time. Take an average of 8 hours a day, and that’s 1250 days. Average 5 working days a week and that’s 250 weeks. Again, divide that by 50 (because let’s be honest, 2 weeks out of the year we are all busy doing other things! be it holidays, vacations, sicknesses, etc) and that’s 5 years working at a skill as if it were a job. Most of us are hobbyists and curious seekers and hardly have that time to dedicated to mastering the skills needed to our art of choice. Still, the wise proverb did say the Journey of a Thousand Lifetimes begins with a single step.
Habit Habits are hard things to break. And those of us who dabble in the arts as a creative release often find ourselves migrating towards a certain style or look, simply because it is what we know or what we are used to doing. This is a dangerous area for those creating artwork, as we are past the point of learning, past the point of comfortableness, and have gone on to routine. Put routine into artwork, and it tends to loose that fire - that spark of life that touches the souls of those who are looking at it.
What do you do then, if you find yourself ‘stuck’ - afflicted by a creative block you just can’t seem to shake?
Try a Different Style Fantasy and Manga are awesome - I love them! But step away from the grand sweeping scenes or character art, and try still life. There is a reason the great masters practiced it, and it hangs in our museums - not only do you need to capture the essence of your subject matter, you have to arrange it and compose it as well, beforehand.
Go For A Run No, really, I’m serious. Exercise releases endorphins - feel good chemicals in the brain. So does creating art. Get the juices going in a completely different way, and start fresh.
Stand On Your Head Well, maybe not literally. But try drawing a picture where the scene is upside down. Turn your camera upside down. Pause, step back, consider a different angle than you normally would approach what you are about to work on, and try that.
Try a Different Medium Move from photography to drawing or painting - try throwing the brushes aside and using your fingers, literally put your fingerprint in the artwork. There is something primal to smearing paint around with your hands and fingers that is appealing and sends the creative juices flowing. Really, the little kids have caught on to something we have forgotten as we have grown up.
Go To A Museum Find art, whether it is your same style, subject, or medium doesn’t matter. Just viewing art by others who see the world differently than we do, causes us to tilt our heads and consider things we hadn’t considered before. We are trapped in one frame of reference - in a physical body it is difficult for the human consciousness to consider branching out from their point of view, to find new angles. That is what makes museums so amazing and delightful. There we are presented with ideas, topics, techniques we hadn’t even thought possible, let alone attainable.
