Sometimes it feels like the world is constantly assaulting us with responsibilities and hurdles that take away from our ability to pursue art and creative passions. Demanding and time consuming jobs, rising costs of EVERYTHING, relationships, resources — AHHHHHHHH! After all that sometimes we only have energy to binge YouTube for a few hours before struggling to sleep and start the cycle over again.

Even when you have some time to work on art you are plagued by doubt, insecurities, and societal expectations that you’ll never be successful. People have told you your whole life that art isn’t a real career. People have told you the art world is just for money laundering. People told you to go to college for something more practical and “secure.” So what do you do?

Baby Steps

One of the most important pieces of advice I can give is to learn to value baby steps. I struggled with this for years and always wanted the fast and huge changes when I was feeling the lowest. Part of this was due to my mental health of always feeling like a failure until I had some big external validation. So practice savoring the baby steps.

Did you spend 10 minutes on art today? Amazing.

Did you give yourself grace when you felt something wasn’t turning out the way you wanted? Yes!

Did you tell yourself you’re an artist today? Superb.

Did you recognize that you’re feelings of shame or failure were given to you by someone else and aren’t true? Wonderful!

Practice Making “Ugly” Art

If you struggle with perfectionism, then this is the practice for you. Practice doing 10 minute sketches. Find a notebook to doodle in with no intentions of making a finished art piece. This ties in to baby steps where you can take a step back and see how much weight even the smallest efforts have. Even “ugly” art is still practice. This gives you the freedom to rediscover being curious and playful with art, which is a great way to reinvigorate your imagination to inspire the big pieces you want to put more effort towards.

It’s also always about perspective. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve finished something and not be super happy with it, but then I share it and tons of people absolutely love it. You never know what people will attract towards.

Reconnect With Your Inner Child

A lot of people struggle or scoff at this idea. It can feel incredibly silly when you first start, because you’re so far removed from that side of yourself. Reconnecting with your inner child isn’t asking you to no longer be an adult, but to be able to step outside the rigid and jaded beliefs that have been thrust on you during adulthood. Adulthood is often a constant state of survival.

What did you love as a kid? Can you pretend to be curious again? What were your favorite movies and books as a kid? Are there new movies or books you’ve been wanting to experience? How can you explore new perspectives with fresh eyes? Give yourself permission to play and explore.

Be Your Own Parent

One of the best tools I learned in therapy while working through cPTSD and surviving a narcissistic mother was self-parenting. It feels incredibly fake and awkward at first, but “fake it ‘till you make it.” Self-parenting is taking the time to talk to yourself as if you were the most loving, compassionate, and supportive parent in the world. Comment on how incredibly proud you are. Hang your art on your fridge. Call yourself “sweety.” Trust in the process that this will help you in the long run.

Make Art for the Sake of Making Art

Don’t think about how popular it could be on social media, or if someone will buy it from you. Your art will be negatively affected by trying to please other people. If you’ve been commissioned to create something, then it’s okay to want to please your client. But people are attracted to passion. Make art that YOU love. Make art because it’s relaxing to work on. Make art that is a reflection of your experiences and perspectives.

Use Art Resources

You can find some free art courses to get back to fundamentals. There are a few popular free courses like Draw A Box, Proko, Ctrl+Paint (for digital art), and Line of Action.

Also look within your own community for free or cheap art classes, open group gatherings to draw together, or look for museums and galleries near you for inspiration.

Find online communities to participate or lurk in like subreddits, discord channels, Deviant Art, Art Station, or whatever else you can find.

I highly recommend reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron to more deeply address the emotional and mental blocks that many artists struggle with. The book is full of realistic examples, and easy to do exercises that give you a new perspective on how to un-fuck your beliefs surrounding being an artist.

Address Your Basic Needs

This is usually pretty obvious, but is so important it’s worth repeating.

Physical Health - Make sure you’re eating well by monitor your sugar and caffeine in-take. Exercise when you can, even if it’s just a 10 minute walk.
Getting quality sleep is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself. Have a bed-time routine, turn of screens before bed, etc.
Mental health - Be honest about your mental state. Practice mindfulness and gratitude every day. Find self-help books to read that connect with how you’re feeling. Find someone you can confide in to talk to.
Ask for help - If you’re struggling with any of these things, it’s time to ask for help. It’s always okay to ask for help. I know it’s not always easy to go to the doctor or see a therapist, so look for cheaper alternatives when you don’t have access to a professional. Find an online community to open up to and have a group you can turn to. Find YouTube channels to learn more about why you may be struggling with certain issues. The important thing is that you’re trying.

Artist blocks can be demoralizing and frustrating. Most of the things that cause art blocks are mental health related and not easy to work through. A lot of the time these things have been carried through years or decades of our life, and feel like a permanent feature. But I need you to know that change is always possible, and you ARE an artist.

Overcoming Artist Blocks