Art Block Is the Worst

[Smithereens]

I hate it. I hate not having ideas. I'm trying to bump up some work so that I can put together an illustration portfolio, even though I do have a graphic design one. It's so annoying. I'll write down what I'm going to be illustrating, like a book cover or lyrics from a song, but then I can't come up with anything. I keep trying to check out art websites, and I save work that inspires me, but that doesn't work much. I jot things down and doodle in my sketchbook, but on most days I'm usually staring at a blank page.

I know that some advice would be to get away from it all and do something else until an idea hits you. Tried it. Another would be to JUST DRAW SOMETHING. Tried that too, it's much worse.

Sometimes I feel like giving up because I get so frustrated. I already did that once, in high school. I didn't draw or paint anything for about a year and a half because I was just so discouraged. I don't want it to get like that again, especially since my mom is nagging me to find a job related to my college major.

[Ladeeda]

I know what you mean. I'm working on a comic, and I spend half the night trying to get one panel laid out.

Ended up working on something completely different, since it just wasn't happening.

Maybe writing it down is the problem? I can't reproduce something I've just jotted down as a tiny doodle. It never looks as good as the thumbnail.

[muses_nightmare]

I know how you feel, I'm a graphic designer/Illustrator as well. Sometimes when I know that I'm doing something for a reason (like the book of poetry/illustration I did for my GD portfolio) I can come up with better ideas. Maybe that would help? Find challenges on art websites maybe? (I should take my own advice haha). I don't know if that would help at all. I know sometimes a block just sticks for awhile no matter what, and it really really sucks.

[Gravekeeper]

Writer's block. Hissss~

I'll admit it creeps up on me very rarely ( too much stuff in my head most days to begin with ), but when it does, my hatred for it knows no boundries. Especially when I'm "work mode" but have no clear idea of what to work on.

Luckily, I can just hire other people to do the art. >.>

[Smithereens]

I know what you mean. I'm working on a comic, and I spend half the night trying to get one panel laid out.

Ended up working on something completely different, since it just wasn't happening.

Maybe writing it down is the problem? I can't reproduce something I've just jotted down as a tiny doodle. It never looks as good as the thumbnail.

Probably. Sometimes I'll draw something in my sketchbook that I think is cool, but trying to get it on a larger sheet of paper just doesn't come out right. I'm working on a comic book as well, and even started the thumbnails going. I'm still trying to figure out what's going to happen somewhere in the middle of the story, so I'm stuck. I have the beginning, part of the middle, and the ending all done but I'm still stuck on one particular part that will move toward the rest of the story forward.

I know how you feel, I'm a graphic designer/Illustrator as well. Sometimes when I know that I'm doing something for a reason (like the book of poetry/illustration I did for my GD portfolio) I can come up with better ideas. Maybe that would help? Find challenges on art websites maybe? (I should take my own advice haha). I don't know if that would help at all. I know sometimes a block just sticks for awhile no matter what, and it really really sucks.

Same here. If it's an actual assignment with a due date I can do it because I know what I'm supposed to be doing. If I'm just doing personal stuff to get more content for my collection it's a lot harder. I have been trying to find stuff online, but haven't come up with much.

Writer's block. Hissss~

I'll admit it creeps up on me very rarely ( too much stuff in my head most days to begin with ), but when it does, my hatred for it knows no boundries. Especially when I'm "work mode" but have no clear idea of what to work on.

That. Totally in work mode. I have the board, paper and pencil on my lap right now. I must have erased the same thing five times.

[RootedPhoenix]

Lately, I've just gone through my own old work. Editing it, making it better, trying to see if I can make something of the little bits I've got lying around.

I'm a writer, so this might sound mega stupid (or be something you've tried already..), but it's worked for me.

Maybe find some story prompts? I know I often want to draw something when I look at story prompts. I've found that if I make them myself, I spend all my creative energies on the prompt...instead of on the work. Bleh.

Try talking a walk, or doing some other nourishing activity. I know I don't really write on my walks, but they give me the space to find the words and images again.

Just throwing ideas out. Also, *offers cookies* Art block bites - majorly.

[ExRetailDrone]

Ugh, I feel your pain. While I cannot draw and my degree is in nothing artsy (although I wish it were, I just don't have that kind of confidence in myself), I consider myself a writer of sorts. I used to write all the time, it was how I helped learn about myself as well as how I dealt somewhat with my depression. It was nothing spectacular, mostly journal entries of long rambles that went in circles that never seemed to completely connect, but some really good poems also came out of that whole mess. But for years now, even though I have been dealing with horrible bouts of depression and other issues, the words just do not seem to flow like they used to. Whenever I write (which usually just includes message boards or Facebook), I feel like a monkey pounding maniacally on the keyboard with nothing of substance emerging. It's so frustrating. Especially when I get some really good ideas of things to write about in my head at the most inopportune times (like when I'm in the shower and have no ready access to a keyboard or writing instrument), and by the time I would be able to write them down, the ideas have vanished into shadows of what they had been 10 minutes before.

I hope that you are able to tap into your creativity soon.

[Smithereens]

Lately, I've just gone through my own old work. Editing it, making it better, trying to see if I can make something of the little bits I've got lying around.

I'm a writer, so this might sound mega stupid (or be something you've tried already..), but it's worked for me.

Maybe find some story prompts? I know I often want to draw something when I look at story prompts. I've found that if I make them myself, I spend all my creative energies on the prompt...instead of on the work. Bleh.

Try talking a walk, or doing some other nourishing activity. I know I don't really write on my walks, but they give me the space to find the words and images again.

Just throwing ideas out. Also, *offers cookies* Art block bites - majorly.

That's what I've been trying to do recently. Look through old sketchbooks and I'm finding a few pieces that I'd began but never finished for some reason. I figured I could do something with them. I'm also going through story books to see if there are any scenes in particular that I want to draw. I've began sketches for those. I'm very slowly getting ideas.

Ugh, I feel your pain. While I cannot draw and my degree is in nothing artsy (although I wish it were, I just don't have that kind of confidence in myself), I consider myself a writer of sorts. I used to write all the time, it was how I helped learn about myself as well as how I dealt somewhat with my depression. It was nothing spectacular, mostly journal entries of long rambles that went in circles that never seemed to completely connect, but some really good poems also came out of that whole mess. But for years now, even though I have been dealing with horrible bouts of depression and other issues, the words just do not seem to flow like they used to. Whenever I write (which usually just includes message boards or Facebook), I feel like a monkey pounding maniacally on the keyboard with nothing of substance emerging. It's so frustrating. Especially when I get some really good ideas of things to write about in my head at the most inopportune times (like when I'm in the shower and have no ready access to a keyboard or writing instrument), and by the time I would be able to write them down, the ideas have vanished into shadows of what they had been 10 minutes before.

I hope that you are able to tap into your creativity soon.

Oh my goodness, that happens to me too! Sometimes I get a good idea and before I've even gotten up to get something to write with I've forgotten it. So annoying. I don't do much creative writing anymore, but I still write journal entries sometimes. I have an exercise that I do sometimes when I can't think of anything in particular to write. Just write whatever comes to mind. Just write the first thing that pops into your mind and make a sentence out of that. Pretty soon the page will be filled with nonsensical ramblings. It's weird, but it's a pretty interesting exercise.

Thanks, guys. Sorry about not responding sooner, but I keep having problems with connecting to the internet.

[ExRetailDrone]

I have an exercise that I do sometimes when I can't think of anything in particular to write. Just write whatever comes to mind. Just write the first thing that pops into your mind and make a sentence out of that. Pretty soon the page will be filled with nonsensical ramblings. It's weird, but it's a pretty interesting exercise.

Ah, the free write. We used to have to do those occasionally in my AP English class in high school. My teacher had us write non-stop for 10 minutes. If our mind went blank, we had to keep writing the last word we had on the paper before the mind-blank until something else sprang to mind. I don't think I kept any of them, as I had a big binge of cleaning out old papers this past summer, but I did read through them before tossing them and there were something interesting things that came to light in them. I honestly have been meaning to sit down and free write again, but for some reason I just cannot make myself. I need to remedy that.