Karin Taylor

What a lovely thing to share. I think we all get this sometimes and its hard- I often get it when I’m overwhelmed with ideas as well as dryed up for ideas. I’m not sure how I deal with it- sometimes the same ways as you I think- Trying to address the roots of stress and frustration and most certainly spending time enjoying galleries etc.
Thanks for links too- def will check them out xxxxxxx

Oh I do like those tips Karin. So helpful.

I can truly say I’ve never had it…looking at some of your excellent tips made me realize I already follow most of them, so may be that’s why…
With regard to stopping and only painting when inspiration comes…that does not work for me….I just keep painting and inspiration evolves out of experimentation with new subjects, materials, styles etc…I don’t say what shall I paint today, but get out paper and start putting paint on paper or canvas, with whatever is on the table at the time…

Of course I stop active painting to read, go out, shopping, galleries, meals, family life friends and so on, but painting is always in my head in terms of thinking about it, observing the world around me, the colours, shapes etc…...

I paint for its own sake and not for any other reason…it gives me a great deal of joy, no matter what the subject is…it’s the process I love…the act of creating….

I think if you paint just to paint, you’ll never get artists block….

Yeah she’s wild, i just love her honesty and free spirit..x

For me it is organizational – I have SOOOOOOOOOOO much to do and soooooooooooo many things I want to do that I feel like I’m in the middle of a merry go round that is spinning out of control and motionless / directionless through sheer volume of choice!
This is when I sit down and write lists.
Wish Lists
Project Lists
Have to do Lists
Bills Lists [because inevitably my first stumbling block is justifying the finances]
and finally I get a bit of direction
Next thing I clean something!
For me cleaning is annoying! I don’t leave personal messes & so the cleaning I do is always cleaning up other people’s thoughtless mess left behind. Stupid things like
Rubbish left in the sink when the bin is Under the sink!
Ok I can handle the dishes left on the bench above the dishwasher but couldn’t they stack it so it doesn’t topple & crash to the floor?
Dirty washing on the bathroom floor just haphazardly thrown in the general direction of the hamper!
The toothbrush left on the side of the basin & not in the holder 2 inches away
The toilet roll left empty on the holder
and don’t get me started on their personal stuff left lying about!
I have even resorted to throwing rubbish in front of them onto the floor and saying as I do so “I can do this I’m the one who cleans it up!”
But what get’s me more than anything else is WHILE I’m cleaning up after them they jump on MY PC and surf the net till the thing crashes and thus LOSE my work!!!
and why do I do it? because literally if I don’t it doesn’t get done! Then I can’t write because I can’t justify writing when housework needs to be done!
Soon I have to have abdominal Surgery (tummy tuck) abnd I am dreading it
not the surgery – several hours and whatever ramifications I will undergo with that on the table then the painful recovery – that doesn’t scare me half as much as coming home …. coming home to a messy house is also relatively expected BUT 6 – 12 weeks of complete incapability to clean said messy house …. THAT will aggravate the hell outta me!
I had breast surgery last year and should have given my body 6 weeks to recover before strenuous exercise [Housework is VERY physically demanding!] I handled the mess for 2 days then as soon as they left me alone I got back to cleaning up! – the sad thing was THEY DIDN’T NOTICE! [they = “Don’t you do it I’ll look after you” fiance “I’ve come to help” mother & 4 teenage “we’ll do it” kids]
Sorry this is becoming a JE in itself! lol
The point is

1. 1 prioritise & art is a top priority for artists equal to eating!
2. 2 organise – sort out the time blocks and juggle the duties with the projects
3. 3 be kind to yourself or no one else will!
   Remind those you live with that being an artist is a huge part of you! and without you practicing it you will not be who they know and love!
   Well that’s what I try to teach my “They” mob
   Getting on with cleaning house and not leaving my work unsaved on the PC is easier tho!
   I think it’s list time again …....
   Chookas! ♥

Although I try not to use the term as I don’t believe in it, I don’t mind a so-called “unsuccessful” painting…I tear it up and do a collage or I pulp it and make it into new paper or a pretty bowl…one of the classes I plan to teach next year to my painting group is how to rescue a painting that did not turn out the way it was expected to…it is surprising what you can do with them..
If you start with the idea that the painting is going to end up a certain way, then you might be disappointed..but if you start with no expectations at all and just look forward to the process you will be surprised what turns up…some of my most successful paintings cacme out of no plan at all…
Another thing is that you do have to have a fairly organized studio and you must make sure you have time for yourself every day…I can attest to the fact that it is not easy to do so, but I try to arrange it to be so…...then I just go in and paint….

Thanks for sharing Karin, artist block is definitely something I experience and many of your tips are similar to what I try to do, especially to get out into the sun and walk along the beach :)
I wonder if, in my case, working as a freelance Graphic Artist during the day designing if some of my creative juices get used up. And also if working alone, being isolated and not interacting with others has an effect? That’s where a community like RedBubble has helped me. xo

I’ve been in the middle of one for a while now – hence my scarceness. Your tips are great – I’m going to go to the library and am even booking a trip to Melbourne to catch up with a friend and some galleries and different scenery. I’ll report back if there is a major turn around! x Carmen

Karin, your comments have come at the right moment for me too, having just started to emerge from a seriously uncreative time. I know with me it was linked to anxiety about general money insecurity and now that I’ve hopefully solved that problem with a casual job, I can feel the juices stirring again, but thank-you for all your ideas. Sometimes you need to be reminded of things like “nurturing yourself”- it’s easy to imagine you’re alone in experiencing this stuff, so it’s comforting to know we all go through it.

I just wish artist block we my problem, I am to old for this much hard work and it takes so much time and leaves me to tired to even RB.

Great topic to bring up Karin. I am going through the dreaded “Block” at the moment. I go about it the same way as you do, surrounding myself with interesting books, magazines, going to galleries, listening to music and I just try to relax about it. I do find that when I have a creative block, I do become more irritable and down in the dumps. I need to be creative as it keeps an even balance within me, just something I do for myself, so it really sucks when I have nothing in my head to get excited about and put down on paper. I have tried to draw and paint for the sake of it, but like you, I ruin it and become more frustrated, so for me, sitting it out and letting it run it’s course is the best thing. I hate it when it happens, but can’t do much about it. Just wait. It does feel great when that surge of creativeness rushes through my body again and I can’t wait to pick up the pencil and brushes again. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, as it can be a hard time to get through for a lot of us. Knowing others feel the same is a great reassurance and support.

some great tips KT. i often dont feel like doing anything – but i dont consider it artist/writers block. sometimes im visited by the Muses, othertimes not.
i actually find it harder trying to physically create the art that i have in my head.. sigh..
i also find if i dont know what i want to draw/create – i just start drawing random lines and squares and circles over the page… then join them with more lines, circles and squares… invariably i find ive created something quite unique and it keeps you happy till the lovely Muses rock up and demand satisfaction.

Hi Karin…great tips…thanks
I’ve been in a block around 1 month…inspiration is coming back now…:)...
It is spring and I was gardening and now the flowers are blooming…what a gift…yes…you are right…sun is a good font of energy…

Hugsxx

i have a few things i do… not neccessarally to combat atrtist block, because although i have gone through periods of “non-art-producing” times, they were for different reasons than artist block but can be just as frustrating and down right disappointing times. there have been times when my family came before my painting…homework, bath time, cleaning. And of course keeping open time to spend with my husband “without the kids”. And sometimes, okay many times I was doing things for and with the kids and Husband but in the back of my mind I reallt wanted to be doing my art. So I had to learn to prioritize and sometimes combine things… like put off cleaning one Saturday morning if the kids were out and devote it to my painting… the dirty house will still be dirty tomorrow. Or if there is a family gathering (picnic, beach day).... I would back along with the sandwiches a few art supplies and try to get a few sketches or watercolors done during “family time”.

I’ve also been teaching art in elementary to high school for 15 years, and some days (okay, most) it feels like I am doing giving everyone else the “Inspirational” pep talk…. “You can do it, Just try, pick up the pencil, ... when really I wish I was at my desk painting… but I urge them on and somewhere deep inside me I think it keeps me going as well….otherwise how could I have lasted so long Teaching.

I have also suffered back proplems and this sometimes sets me back (no pun intended, back pain is the pits)

So my point is don’t dispare, usually whatever you are going through gets you to a point where you will have more to express.

I hate when that happens…........

mmm artist’s block …well I want to paint and experiment more than I do, as time is scarce…so always look forward to picking up my brushes when I can… but then sometimes I think what shall I paint and it does not take too much time to find inspiration somewhere…even if I look at some photos…or make one up out of my head. If I were to paint ALL the time I am sure I would have to give it more thought…and a block would appear…so actually looking forward to it :-D as I would be doing what I love more often.

so good karin..and so true..yes I’m in one now.. a real block ..a real rut..hha!
my excuse if I have one..is that I have so many
family things to do here and not tro laugh at all the housework that needs doing with the 3 mean in my life husband and 2 sons..my sons are 30 and 35 and should be out of this house by now..I want to throw them out..but they just won’t go..?

..and caring for my son who is on medication and needs constant looking after ..well it bugs me so much!

and I always seem to be cleaning up the mess around here..space is also an issue so I need to find myself a studio I think
I’ve been doing my paintings in my kitchen for 35 years..
and it gets way too messy here.
when my mind is full of all the other stuff that I have to do then I can’t paint
I need to feel free ijn my mind before a good painting comes up..
though I think I’ve done really well so far with all the obstacles that I have to overcome to even paint anything at all..so I pat myself on the back for that ..hha!!!

I liked jackieo’s comment..a good walk along the beach and some time out..some respite would be great..just a place to relax and take in the sounds and sights of nature can do wonders..and I need to do that and soon.

thanks again..what you wrote is so true!

for me ..”stress” is not good for painting good paintings..but that’s just me.
some people wotk well under stress..not me..I start to fall to bits.

much love

xxxooooo

make that men in my life..not mean ..though mean sounds a good word to describe them…hha!!!!!

Thank you Karin, that’s helpful…The block makes me panic when it happens…I feel lost. I remember the advice of my painting teacher: she said that art was like a muscle, that you had to exercise it regularly, and when it felt laborious, to continue, not expecting great results, just letting things flow. That helped me a lot. When it doesn’t work, at least I don’t feel separated from art.

What an interesting lot of comments, and such honesty which is nice! When I have the blocky blues, I get out my craft stuff. I am a hoarder and collector of found things and I have recently started working on a couple of Altered Books, There are a lot of sites on the web for them and once you pick your topic, could be family, fetishes (!), frenzies, great voyages or trips you have done etc, almost anything. You get a good sized book, gesso the pages, paint them with acriylics and paste away! It is very therapeutic if you are down and uplifting in any case, as you are still painting but adding collage and photos, and bits and pieces of what your subject is about. I find that inspiration comes fairly quickly as I am tuning out. I love collage as it is simply another artform that is totally different from a painting, but you are still creating a picture! So, have a try doing an Altered Book or collage and it will open up a lot of interesting possibilities and give you another string to the creative bow, so to speak!

thanks Karin – I’m definitely feeling that way and don’t want to start taking photos again out of desperation…feel like I’ve lost my way. I’m indulging in gardening at the moment and hoping that it will get my mind back on patterns and flow and not force it.

thanks Karin, I too am recently going through such a stage. Its actually very worrisome because it is only recently that I have started creating art. There are times when I doubt if I have reached the end of my creative cycle so soon. It is a very challenging task to reason out the doubts. Thank you for the useful tips. I will try to step outside the box, the initial steps are hard but worth giving a try.