I like to think I'm a pretty productive person; I work fairly quickly and hopefully produce work of a decent quality for it. However, and I'm sure this is true for every artistic bod, I get periods of extreme uninspiration and general fed-up-ness with my work. Take the last week; I've just finished a big-ish commission and was looking forward to getting started on a big pile of work I've got to do. But as soon as I sat down to start on this work, my brain decided it wasn't having any of it. So my studio time this week has been spent drawing for 20 minutes until I decide I either don't like what I've been doing or it's just not turning out the way it is in my head and then reading or playing video games. Argh!
I'm just putting this down to having had a hectic couple of weeks and I actually need the rest, but it's still frustrating! What do other people do to kick start their creative malaise? I usually read a load of art books, play on my DS, doodle and read which usually knocks my brain back into place but still, having that feeling that you just can't get on with anything is really annoying and a tad scary! Saying that though, I saw some pics on a blog this morning that sparked some doodling. At least that's something!
lol... you image above is fabulous. I know that feeling but I have to say I have never felt that pink before :D
ReplyDeleteIt seems sometimes the inspiration exits as quickly as it arrives. I don't have a system to spark ideas. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. I do find that more so then not just sitting under the stars at night helps clear my head of all the so called "blockage". Night skies are good like that. :D
Hee hee! That's "Little Guff"!
ReplyDeleteUsually I'm not too bad being inspired because I read so much and constantly watch and play stuff but I get a mental block every so often. Usually I'll be doing something really boring and mundane and all of a sudden inspiration comes back!
This happens to me and it is really frightening! It's hard being an artist because you can't really put any sort of measurement on the quality of what you produce, and if you stop producing anything, what are you? Are you still an artist?! As there are no set actions to go through to produce something, like in bricklaying or accounting, it is really unnerving when the creative patches dry up. It totally freaks me out every time. I do exactly what you said, sit down and try and do something, and then end up throwing lots of paper in the bin and having a little hissy fit (or many hissy fits one after the other, depending on how many times I try!).
ReplyDeleteUsually I can account for why it happens, I'm either tired or too many things on my mind. I know it's lame, but sometimes it helsp to go and do something boring and mundane, like housework. Sometimes it helps to just go to sleep and catch up on rest.
I do find that if nothing goes in then nothing comes out though, and if I see an exhibition, or do gardening, or something else equally visually stimulating, then the ides start to come again!
Hope the dry patches don't last for too long!!
I just hate that feeling of, "Oh no! I've lost it!" I tend to get it when I've just finished a big project so a lot of time it is down to tiredness and trying too hard to work!
ReplyDeleteLove your stuff by the way - it's so cute!