I've had a really bad lack of creativity and inspiration to draw for way too long. You guys ever get this? What do you do about it?

Posted by Oryx I've had a really bad lack of creativity and inspiration to draw for way too long. You guys ever get this? What do you do about it?

Yup, all the time! I just keep trekking on, even if i hate my work. Eventually, something comes up that inspires me and sends me in a new direction! Take the time to experiment a little bit.

Usually, I prefer to draw/create things from my imagination. When I get in a slump creatively, though, I find it helps a LOT to start drawing from real life. I'll go find something interesting to sketch, or if I'm really lazy, I'll find a picture of something interesting online and sketch that. (My favorite source for reference images is this: http://www.google....ages?q=ugly+people . I know it's mean, but they're so fun to draw!)

I usually pull a Jackson Pollock and get really drunk with unstretched canvas and house paint.

I usually pull a Jackson Pollock and get really drunk with unstretched canvas and house paint.

Normally hit a museum or gallery. Almost always helps.

I just do it. There's nothing else I can do.

Smoke weed.

i really like chuck close's quote relating to this:

"inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us show up"

also john cage's list of rules for teachers and students:

RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.

RULE TWO: General duties of a student - pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.

RULE THREE: General duties of a teacher - pull everything out of your students.

RULE FOUR: Consider everything an experiment.

RULE FIVE: be self-disciplined - this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

RULE SIX: Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.

RULE SEVEN: The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.

RULE EIGHT: Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.

RULE NINE: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.

RULE TEN: "We're breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities." (John Cage)

HINTS: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything - it might come in handy later.


I also find that reading something new, forcing myself into situations I am not comfortable in, and occasionally getting black out drunk all work too.

Posted by hydrotherapy Normally hit a museum or gallery. Almost always helps.

Posted by uLiveAndYouBurnSmoke Smoke weed.

Hmmm doing both at the same time must be pretty fun. I might wander off and get lost though.

This is the last thing I did stoned:

http://malkaviandr.../gallery/#/d2kjbcd

edit: I ended up making an EPIC mess too >.<

Posted by blacklines

Thank you!