A very timely post for me. Thanks!
Thanks Felicia! I really appreciate you stopping by and I hope your creative muse smiles on you soon :)
Great tips, thanks Drew!
Thanks Dan, I really enjoyed reading your Top 5 regrets post. Keep them coming!
I just came across your website today and im glad i did. Thanks for the wonderful articles.
Thank you for your kind words :)
Just stopped by your website and I have to say that your illustrations are adorable (which is a word that I don’t often use). Looking forward to seeing more!
This article got me started with joining skinny artist community. Thanks for you words and advice it really does help with getting back into the creative process. Keep up the epic artistic work and articles.
Thank you again Katherine for your comments here and elsewhere. I love getting feedback and readers like you who are willing to take the time to share their ideas and thoughts with us, are what this site is all about. We are lucky to have you as a member of our little community :)
Love your ideas here. Can I use them in our Folk & Decorative Artist Guild newsletter please?
We would be honored Chris if you wanted to share this article with your newsletter readers. :)
Almost all of the articles on this site are released under a Creative Commons License so you are encouraged to share the article as long as you credit the author (which in this case happens to be me) and provide a link back to this particular website. You can get all of the details about what exactly you can and can’t do with our content by reading the “Please Share Responsibly” notice in the footer below. Of course if you have any other questions about any of this, you can always contact us directly. Thanks again Chris for being a part of the Skinny Artist community!
drop by my blog…promise you a free poem! You can even choose the topic!
Thanks Joan, we really appreciate you stopping by!
As fantabulous as usual – thank you :)
Sorry i don’t comment much…but i do read and enjoy ;)
Fantabulous right back at you! Whether you have the chance to leave us a comment or not, it’s always a pleasure to have you here my friend I can still sense your creative awesomeness when your here :)
[…] I found: https://skinnyartist.com/ and read his posts on getting the fire back in one’s art. However, I started looking at other posts such as his posts on the differences between an amateur […]
Dear Skinny Artist,
Your words couldn’t have come at a better time. Doubt and self-punishment often lurk in the shadows of creativity. Especially when you work from a home studio away from other artists. Thank you for your encouraging words. They are truly inspirational.
Aloha from Hawaii!
– Kat
I always bring a sketchbook with me so I can draw when I`m waiting for the train or anything else really.
Thank you so much for this post!
I’ve been struggling with my lost passion for years and, have longed for it’s return
in the most desperate of ways.
I feel that this post, your tips just may be the way back for me.
For the first time in a long time, I’m actually hopeful.
Thanks, again :-)
Thanks Loretta for your kind words and I’m really happy to hear that you find the post to be useful :)
It seems like it’s so easy these days for our creativity to get buried beneath layers of daily life. Sometimes it is just helpful just to hear that it’s okay to lose your way or stall out occasionally. I know that personally I tend to go through creative spurts and lulls on a regular basis. Although it may never get any easier when you’re in the middle of it, over the years I’ve learned that eventually I’ll come out on the other side. So now instead of just sitting around and beating myself up, I try to find ways to recharge and refill the creative well so that when I do eventually emerge from my creative hibernation, I’m ready to hit the road running, so to speak. Thanks again Loretta for taking the time to share your thoughts with us and I wish you all the best!
This is a great article. I have really been stuck in a rut lately but I know I have so much in my soul I just have to find a means to let it out.
[…] Five Ways To Rediscover Your Art by Skinny Artist I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of […]
I think the opposite is often true for #1. Completely cutting oneself off from the the work of others can help create art that is more representative of oneself. My pottery teacher and I were talking about finding your own style, something which I often feel distressed about, and he suggested Polynesian artwork as an example. The masks and woodwork are completely unique, because the islanders were completely cut off from outside influence. Obviously today it is impossible to withdraw from the world and cultural influence, but taking some time away might be beneficial.
However I also agree with your point in another article, that imitating other artists can be a gateway into finding your own style. A balance between the extremes of imitation and seclusion might be a way to staying creative and innovative, but I’m not sure, I’m still struggling with it myself!
Hi, Drew this is such great article, thanks for the tips too it really help me trying to get back my passion of drawing, I loved fantasy world art , but ever since the day my college art teacher and my dad told me to give it up for good! I did in the end, even starting a new course, I’m still drawing everyday, at home and college , imagining and picturing characters and places, I can never stop thinking about it . I’ll take all of your advice and start fresh even though i’m still an amateur and i don’t have the most of the equipment I need but still not giving up! Thank you! :)
if i have any spelling mistakes, i’m sorry english isn’t my first language :)
Thank you for your kind words and I’m glad to hear that you refuse to give up on your dream. Unfortunately, everyone in our life will not always understand why we feel the need to draw/paint/write, sometimes even those who closest to us, but that doesn’t mean that we should stop creating our art. As you said, it’s not about having the right tools, it’s about having that passion and desire to create despite all of the reasons not to create.
Just keep drawing Surinan and I wish you all the best :)
Thanks for the advice here. It is all very practical but nice to hear from another person (because giving yourself advice doesn’t always stick).
I am struggling to even pick up a pencil these days I have strayed so far. I walked away from artistic expression to pursue a career in the sciences but I didn’t understand how big of a deal it was because I was secure in my identity as an artist. Now I look back and wonder what I am doing. I feel like an imposter and that I have betrayed myself. I suppose that is the same old story.
Anyway, I will have a look around here and see if I can find some courage. Thanks again.
I understand what you’re going through and I think this kind of thing is just part of the natural ebb and flow of the creative life. We do stuff, and when it doesn’t meet our initial expectations, we begin to question ourselves and our talent. It doesn’t make it any easier when we compare ourselves to all of the masters that have come before us. We can’t help but feel small and insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Unfortunately, there is no real solution other than to develop a thick-skin and a certain amount of stubbornness that says you are going to keep going and do it anyway.
If nothing else, take comfort in the fact that all of us have gone through, and continue to go through, this type of creative self-doubt. It’s simply part of being a creative artist. That doesn’t mean, however, that we have to give in to these feelings of fear and doubt. Sometimes it helps me to take a step back and recognize that I have gone through all of this before and have eventually come out the other side. You simply have to put your head down and find a way to keep moving forward.
Good God it’s like you’re telling my story!
I used to live, breathe, and shit art. I recall the majority of my days spent avoiding conventional responsibilities (curse you laundry!) So as to explore and create. Some where along the line I lost touch with that inner playful child. Responsibilities gave me a sense of fear, one that would constrict my ability to find value in my art or the artistic process. So I took a break from art. I wandered and found myself desperately searching for meaning, something to value (existential against at its finest)
That search led me to the scientific community. And though I’ve spent the past two years learning a lot about the world, I feel so abstracted from myself. Creating feels like a foreign process to me now. I feel empty without art. The shitty part of all is that I’m now intimidated by my own artistic process! Every time I try to dive deep to find that inner child I shut down. Now I’m in a vicious cycle and I don’t know how to break it! I miss being able to ignore the world and five deep into myself. I miss art!
Unfortunately, I think that becoming alienated from our art is all too common once we leave the (somewhat) supportive creative environment of college or art school. Life gets in the way, we decide to “take a break”, and before you know it, the entire creative process becomes completely foreign to us. I know that I’ve been through this myself multiple times, and each time I manage to claw my way back, I vow not to let it happen again–but it sooner or later it does.
It kind or reminds me of running, where when you’re in the middle of it and you’re running on a regular basis, it becomes a part of you. Not only a part of your daily routine, but a part of your identity. Running feels natural and it’s hard to imagine being without it. Then something happens, often an injury, which keeps you from running for a few weeks. Before long, the thought of running becomes uncomfortable, and maybe even a little intimidating. The same thing happens to me when I stop writing. Suddenly everything I write seems awkward, unfamiliar, and completely pointless. It often takes a week or two to regain my creative footing.
My only advice, would be to start small and try to let go of the idea of where you once were or where you think you should be. Don’t try to pick up where you left off, but go back to the beginning. Many people have told me that taking a class often helps them reconnect with their art, because it forces them to re-engage with it on a regular basis. It also provides them with a supportive group of like-minded individuals who are also reconnecting with their creative process.
Thank you for this article. :) i’m studying fashion design and recently I have been swamped with deadlines for school and finishing a wedding gown. I couldn’t take a break and I feel so tired I want to give up.
I love what I do but I feel like I’ve lost my creativity and inspiration along the way – felt like I haven’t done something new and fresh.
I really hope I can find my creativity again REALLY SOON. 😣
so helpful !! thank you so much <3
I’m really hoping these tricks will work for me. I’ve been in a rut for three years. Thanks for taking time to write this article :)
Thanks for stopping by Hanna and I hope it helps! :)
Beautiful article. Thank you for the great advice :)
this post really helps me to get back up again..to do arts again..i will try harder to reclaim my passion. really big thanks!
Thanks for stopping by and also for taking the time to let me know that you found the post to be useful. I really appreciate it farah and wish you all the best!
Hello,
When I was young, I used to draw everyday. It was my passion, I just could not live without it.
During my early twenties, I decided to create a comic book before studying film animation in university.
Since a very young age, there was no question about it, my life was to draw, it was clear I had a passion for drawing. But I don’t know what happened, I just started writing and stopped drawing.
Today I’m 36 and I draw sometimes.. 3 to 4 drawings a year. I can’t find back that passion, the motivation, feel kind of lost because I still want to draw. When I see another person drawing with passion, I feel like I lost a part of myself.
I’m totally blocked. I tried to find a new passion, doesn’t work. I don’t know what stops me.
Too many people tried to force me to make a living with it, “you should sell your drawings, why don’t you draw this instead of that, stop copying and just create all the time, draw landscapes and portraits and forget the rest, etc”
I don’t know why I lost my passion but I miss it soooo much. I don’t know what to do. I would give anything to draw again.
Thanks Martine for taking the time to share your story with us :) I’m always amazed, and a little sad, how often I hear something very similar to your story from one of our readers. Someone grows up loving to write/draw/paint etc.. and gets pretty good at it because they work on their craft every chance they get. Then life gets in the way. Sometimes it’s a new job, new relationship, new baby, new responsibilities and before you know it, the “unnecessary” things in their life (i.e., their creative activity) gets shoved to the back burner.
Years pass, and before they know it, they are 40 years old and kicking themselves for letting their creative passion go. So one day they decide to jump back in headfirst. The classic quit-your-job-and-write-the-great-American-novel kind of thing. Instead of just picking it up as a hobby or something fun to do, they try to justify their “weird” behavior by making a “business” out of it. Because as everyone knows that if you can’t make money at something, it’s not worth doing…. No, wait, that’s just some stupid crap that we’ve all been led to believe.
After all, if you make jewelry, everyone expects you to open up a shop on Etsy. If you paint or draw, they talk you into renting a booth at every local craft fair so you can sit there for hours pretending like you’re not bored out of your mind. And if you are a writer, then you have no excuse, because everyone knows how easy it is these days to publish and sell your book online.
My point here (if I have one) is that there comes a time in your life when you just have to do what you want to do, regardless of all of the well-meaning “advice” that people will offer you. I think that it’s that constant pressure of making something “worthy” of selling that freezes us up creatively. It’s that nagging thought of “is it really good enough?” or “who the hell would want to buy that?!” that shuts down our creative flow. It’s only when you are able to let those expectations go, that you’ll finally rediscover the creative spark that you once felt as a child who was excited to create something without demanding that it offer something in return.
My one piece of advice is for you to simply pick up your pen/pencil/whatever and start drawing again–but this time, do it for yourself. Don’t do it for the money, to fill your portfolio, or to impress the neighbors. Just grab a sketchbook and make a mark…then another…and then keep going until you start to once again feel the joy of the creative soul reawaking inside of you…
Thank you. These are not overly esoteric/academic (too high minded) tips, and they are the good ones I found before and promptly forgot. I feel so lost and away from my art right now, and too lost in other so-called “tips” online that just loaded me up with more things to do. These are right to the point, and I very much appreciate them!
The advice on here are similar to steps I’ve taken recently in my own creative journey. A book “The Artist’s Way” Especially helped me on this journey. I believe nurturing your creativity is essential, and that doing things that feed “your creative soul” as the article describes can go a long long way. I think “art block” describes the lack of motivation us artists feel really well and this is something I’ve Explored on my own blog on [Art Activism] (http://www.actiwth.art) . I think community also empowers and nurtures us and I hope to find and build one.
This is exactly what i needed to read. I feel bad that i don’t like engaging in dancing and acting Annie but there’s so much lot there that i can explore and maybe I’ll get back into it. Very self critical of myself.
Thank you!