Every now and then, we all face art block, also known as creative block. Everything feels so overwhelming, which increases our anxiety and leads to procrastination. I was facing the same issue for quite a few days, and this is my story of how the crisis looked to me and the techniques I usually use to overcome it.
Soon after I finished college, I sat down one day to paint my unfinished canvases. Before I could even start painting, my heart was filled with anxiety and maybe some fear. Fear of perfection. Fear of the outcome. I couldn’t even hold my brushes and palette or pour out paint from the tube. My hands shook, and my chest felt heavy. After battling my anxiety for some time, I finally decided to just start. I did. And it seemed so unsatisfactory. The painting was getting ruined, and I felt I had forgotten to draw and paint. I felt miserable.
Before my college career finished, I kept my drawing and painting practise on hold because I couldn’t do it with so many assignments and stress. It had been quite a few months since I had drawn properly. And that is why I was not even able to draw a proportionate human being with a pencil. Name all the negative emotions: useless, worthless, anxious, depressed—everything popped up in my mind. Self-doubt and self-criticism were at their peak.
But instead of distracting myself or forcing myself to work anyway, I took a step back, let myself feel all those emotions, and just let them out. I cried, laid down on my floor, and hugged myself. For a few minutes (which actually turned into a few hours), I did nothing but think about how miserable I am. But I made sure to not overdo it, not letting myself immerse and sink into those negative thoughts. While doing so, I also asked myself a couple of questions and analysed my situation.
Why am I feeling so anxious?
How did I forget to draw?
Am I really useless, or is it just an art block?
Is it because I stopped practicing? And if yes, how can I start it again?
Is fear of perfection and fear of judgment stopping me to draw or paint?
Did I lose my ability to be patient?
Am I focused? Or am I distracted?
Am I facing a brain fog?
(What is brain fog and how to deal with it is whole another chapter. I’ll surely write a blog on the topic soon!)
I started answering all these questions in my head (sometimes I write them down in my journal to help sort my thoughts). I even opened my laptop and searched for how to overcome art block. And these are some of the techniques that I had been advised on by my mentors, the internet, and, of course, myself.
HOW I DEAL WITH ART BLOCK (and you can, too!)
TAKE A BREAK
Yes, take a break and immerse yourself in some other activity that usually makes you happy and doesn’t require much use of your brain. I usually go for a walk, dance freely in my room (alone), sit and watch a sunset or sunrise, try organising my room, or do some DIY stuff. You can also do nothing! Yes, do nothing. Just sit on your balcony, watch the world outside, maybe daydream, or do nothing. Just sit idle. I try not to think about painting at all; otherwise, it will again start giving me anxiety.
But how long should the break be? It totally depends from person to person. For someone like me, I like to take as much time as possible. It can be a few hours, a few days, or even weeks. It is important to give your body rest and time to heal. My social and working energy drains quickly, and therefore I need frequent small breaks or infrequent longer ones. This time, I took a mini-break of just a few hours.
SCREEN DETOX
While you are on a break, it is very important not to use your mobile phones, laptops, tablets, or any screens. Our digital screens emit low-frequency radiation, which affects our body tissues. Studies have found that prolonged exposure to digital screens causes irritability, brain fog, memory and concentration problems, and even vision issues.
This is the reason why I try to decrease my screen time and use it only for useful work. I go a little extreme and delete social media apps like Instagram and YouTube because these apps are quite addictive for me and I lose control while scrolling for hours. These apps are designed in such a way that the users end up consuming so much content that is of little to no value. Using these social media apps for a longer duration has only left me lethargic, unfocused, and stressed. And to channelize my energy and time into some useful work, I take a break from social media as well.
This has effectively improved my focus and productivity every time, and I highly recommend trying it once.
TAKE BABY STEPS
You’ve probably heard this one quite a lot. When you face an art block crisis or feel overwhelmed, try breaking down your major tasks into smaller ones. For example, if I wanted to do a painting, I would probably break down the process into several steps, like researching for references, compiling them, practising the forms and composition in a sketchbook, making a final drawing on canvas or paper, and then finally jumping into the details and/or painting.
Sometimes, I feel like these baby steps are actually leading me nowhere. At my lowest points, these baby steps seem to be so little and so worthless because I cannot see any progress. But when I look back months and years from that point, I can clearly see the progress, see my improvements, and realise that these baby steps are leading me towards my growth. So, at such times, please do not lose hope! Just keep taking those baby steps, even if those steps are as small as getting up from your bed!
START FROM ZERO
This is another method I try: start from the very basics. When I felt like I couldn’t draw and had lost my ability to paint, I went back to practising the basics. I take out my sketchbook (or a bunch of waste assignment papers that I have accumulated over my college years) and start practising figure drawings, landscapes, etc. I have a couple of books that I bought for references and practising (which I rarely use to actually practise). So, I thought, why not start now?
Copy work. Yes, it is one of the best ways to master your skills. You might say, “But that is cheating! Real artists don’t copy!” Well, all artists copy at some point in their lives. But we don’t copy in our final pieces of work. We copy for practising, to understand the right proportions, to let our brain indulge in that creative zone again, and to improve our skills.
So, start from zero and basics. Practise sketching. Do this for a couple of days or until you feel ready to jump into your final art piece.
JOURNALING AND MAKE A TO DO LIST
I have found journaling quite helpful when I face brain fog, art block, or overwhelming feelings. Writing down your thoughts in a journal helps you sort them. During my art block crisis, I usually face brain fog, where I don’t understand what’s going on inside my head. I feel confused and anxious. This happens either when you have so many thoughts inside your head that they get jumbled up or when you just get numb to all of your thoughts. When you start writing, your jumbled thoughts slowly break down into simpler thoughts and get sorted. It slowly clears your mind of wasteful thoughts and gives way to new and useful ones.
Along with journaling, I try to make a small to-do list. I have a whole another experience with to-do lists where I don’t believe that making a long to-do list actually improves your productivity. It is just my personal experience; it might work for some people and might not work for others. I don’t feel like writing down smaller daily tasks like bathing or cooking will help. They only make the list unnecessarily long and overwhelming. I also don’t find that making a daily timetable helps you organise. It takes away your freedom to complete your work, and when it isn’t completed in the given time frame, you might feel useless. So instead, I write down three major tasks for the day and try to accomplish only them. If, after completing those three major tasks, I get time and have energy to do something else, I’ll do it; otherwise, I’m done for the day.
SELF LOVE AND SELF CARE
Last but not least, love yourself! Take care of yourself. Give yourself some time. You should be your number one priority and everything and everyone else comes after you! Take out some time every day to groom yourself, indulge in some hobbies you love, or go out for a nice walk in the neighbourhood/park. When you start loving yourself, you will gain your confidence to complete your other work! If you can’t love yourself, then how will you be able to love your work? If you can’t do the above-mentioned methods, at least do this one! Self-love – it might be overrated these days, but it’s because it is that important and people have forgotten to love themselves for so many years.
P.S. – I usually do more than two methods to overcome my art block crisis. You can do the same! Or just do one at a time. It’s totally up to you! You’ll overcome this art block crisis, so try not to worry too much about it. These blocks come and go and is a part of life. It is normal to face such blocks. Be easy on yourself! I know you can do it, believe in yourself!
*NOTE – These blogs are truly my personal experiences and all that is written here may or may not be scientifically proven. All my writings include stuff from books, articles, experiences and my perspective. It’s okay if you don’t agree with my views, not everyone will! This blog is open for discussions, advices, tips and criticisms. Thank you for giving your time to read my blogs, I really appreciate it!