Five sure ways to improve creative inspiration and eliminate the fear of your watercolor.
Everybody has to start somewhere
It’s fun to watch children make art. Going from one color to the next, never cleaning their brushes, mixing colors for the joy of it. Making mistakes and seldom discouraged. Remember making art when you were little? You were fearless then. Let’s recover that brave spirit.
Dad saved a picture of my scribble drawing. I don’t remember drawing it. I’m so glad my parents loved me and gave me paper and a pencil. I remember drawing when I was ten. Drawing deer, rabbits, squirrels, reptiles was my passion. Draw and erase, draw and erase, draw and erase. Mom said I drew until I cried with frustration. Somehow I was never discouraged. Children hold a passion for art and need plenty of supplies and encouragement. Thank goodness for supportive family and teachers.
So what do you do when you are discouraged? Is there a seeming lack of progress in your work? Do you lack inspiration? No matter how hard you search, you can’t find the inspired subject matter? Don’t apologize for where you are in your art skills. You have made progress.
Even the best artists started from ground zero. Once upon a time, even Michelangelo began his first painting.
When you are discouraged, reach out to others. Ask an artist friend if they’ve ever failed. For every successful painting posted on social media, many other pictures crashed and burned. It’s usual to feel depressed after a failed image or passage. You suffer strong emotions because you are pushing your limits. When you are headed in the right direction, your skills are on a learning curve leading up.
How to get your Mojo back:
1. My favorite is going to a library or bookstore to browse art magazines. The bright colors and new painting ideas will enrich your soul. Grab a cup of coffee. Sugar and caffeine always satisfy. The body is directly related to the spirit. Lift one up. The other will follow.
2. Put a “bad” painting away and return to it later with a fresh eye.
3. Have more than one thing going on at a time. Multiple art projects give your creativity room the breathe.
4. Set a clock and power through your work. Just around the corner, a breakthrough is in sight. I recommend one hour. Long enough to get something done, short enough to look forward to the end of the hard work of the creative process.
5. When lost for subject matter, scan reference photos. Be intentional throughout your daily activities. You're on the hunt for the subject matter for your next sketchbook entry.
There is one sure way to fail, and that is to quit. If you have a pattern of discouragement in your art, you can change this. You can develop the discipline to carry on. Tiny incremental imperceptible skills will creep into your craft. There is a new you who will make discoveries now and in the future. Put on your artist hat, load up that brush and get to painting.
“A lazy man does not roast his prey, But the precious possession of a man is diligence.” Proverbs 12:27.