Notifications
This is going to sound like a strange question, but how many arts do you do? The reason for the question is that a lot of artists, myself included, do a lot of different media. And when we do hit the place you no inspiration with one art, we simply go do some other project totally different. I'm primarily known as a lapidary artist and a silversmith. But yesterday I spent the day weaving, and most likely will do that again today. Tomorrow I'll enamel as I have a friend coming over to share the studio. I have a major piece of silver due out by the weekend and have been stumbling with some techniques. So I just walked away from it until I'm actually ready to do the work. So what I am suggesting is that you try something that you've been wanting to do in another media, or heading a completely different direction if you only work in one media. But take a break from the problem piece and give your mind a rest.
Yes Virginia,
There is an end to the slump! You and thousands of creative minds face the same dilemma- its known as Writers block - and can you imagine how many authors have banged their heads against the keyboard - I don't know if you remember the famous movie " The Shining" with Jack Nicholson, where he was an author in a closed up Hotel in the dead of winter in Vermont - and all he did all day was type the same sentence over and over until he went mad -
Browse the art stores and look through the books on watercolor painting, graphic design, and color mixing - there are so many choices - that will help give you a wider palette of colors that compliment each other.
Second - every catalogue that comes in the mail has ideas - if you see a photo or design cut it out and put it in a folder - Dover publications has a whole series of theme books for artists - you can also buy them in Barnes and Noble, Art section - or Amazon.com - also, crafting books, embroidery books, stain glass books, etc. have wonderful designs that you can expound on - I have a gi-normous book shelf of these helpful publications.
Just step away from the bench, and spend the day gathering ideas in all these stimulating stores.
I guarantee you will go home smiling. I also do a number of other art techniques when I am bored or brain dead from jewelry and enameling - I love Metal Clay, bead stringing, beading bezels around my enamel pieces or gem stones, metalsmithing, chain mail and needlepoint - Most artists have a wide range of other arts they turn to for a change - some of our Members are fine art painters, graphic designers, woodworkers, and ceramics aficionados -
Get shopping!!
Trish
One suggestion that was made to me is to clip pictures out of magazines when the color combinations appeal to you. It doesn't have to be the whole picture, mostly I have one or two inch torn scraps, but they contain color combos that sing to me. Paste an envelope inside the cover of your sketch book to keep track of them. Hope there is some inspiration there.
M
Can anyone give me any suggestion on getting out of a slump. I sit and stare at a pr prepared piece on my workbench. I have already enameled the base coat but just don't have anything? I have a sketch book that I have sketched ideas in for years, but it is color where I am having a block.
Any suggestions?????
Thanks,
Virginia