Artist Block?

What artist never had a lack of inspiration? Pollock, Monet, Picasso, O'Keefe, they've all been there, but it never stopped them.

So why should it stop you? Or me?

Many things can cause this block, but there's also many things that can help you with your creativity.

Photo taken with my phone of an exhibit I found by chance while wandering around Mayfair, London

Some of the below might be contributing factors to Artist Block:

1- Lack of Confidence and Fear of Being Criticised

Some of you might have already thought "my painting/photo/writing is rubbish, why would anyone be interested in it?"or "My skills are not good enough compared to...".

Stop thoses refelexes! The more you think like this, the more you will loose confidence. Why wouldn't anyone want to see your paiting/photo/poem? There are 7 billion people on our blue planet, you have a huge audience to get, and within those 7 billion, some will be interested in your work!

Why compare yourself to other artists or take criticism too much at heart? Each artist produces something different and original so do not doubt your vision. I think it can be interesting to learn from someone else's technique though, to reach your own vision and goals.

2- Lack of Skills Can Sometimes Lead to Block

All artists start out as amateurs. No one was born with ultra developed skills. So if you feel a lack of skills is stopping you from achieving your goal, go out and practice! Find a class, buy a book, ask friends and family, learn! And never stop learning about your art and other art forms as it can only help you grow, as a person and as an artist.

3- Exhaustion

This is a taught one I find. Whether you're mentally or physically tired, exhaustion can be hard to overcome... but not impossible. If you're physically tired, rest, sleep so you can be at your best to work on your art. If you're mentally tired, it might take a bit longer to recover but you will recover. Life has its ups and downs, we've all seen it, especially recently (thanks covid...). There are a few ways to come out of those downs affecting your creativity. For instance, I personally like to go to museums and exhibits; seeing any art form will help your creativity. I like to walk around London to look at the architecture, see my friends, talk about a film, read about photography, check the latest trends on Zara. All this, seeing arts and fashion, exchanging point of views with my friends, taking a walk and seeing places, people or objects, helps me get new ideas and find new ways to take photos.

So don't just stay home all day, go out, explore and inspiration will be back and it will help with mental exhaustion.

All those blocks have hit me at some point, especially the last one recently, but I still go out and take photos, go to exhibits, learn about photography to build my creativity back up. And I think Artist Block might not be the worst thing in the world, I was able to educate myself more, to see new things and to try new things with my camera.

So why couldn't it be the same for you...?