Art Block - Really?!
Keep Creating
In an ideal world the answer is simple: Keep Creating.
End of Scroll.
OK. We are not living in an ideal world. This is why you’d say, wait, man. What do you mean by ‘keep creating’? The art block is about NOT being able to create!
Yep… But still, the answer is — keep creating.
I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember, and I’ve made a living as both an architect and artist all my adult life. Growing up, I spent my first 18 years among artists of all kinds — musicians, composers, painters, sculptors, and writers. My parents were musicians. None of them ever experienced art block. Neither have I, in my entire life.
Naturally, when more and more people started talking about experiencing art block, it caught my interest. I decided to get to the root of it.
So, What Is Art Block?
This condition is also attributed to a variety of factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression, which are mental health issues. This requires different treatment, often medical, rather than simple “tips and tricks” approach. In this case, I think it’s clear that Art Block is a symptom of a mental health problem and not a problem on its own.
In other words, a person can’t create not because they lack ideas, but because they suffer from mental health issues.
Therefore, all these videos and articles about "5 tips" or "7 steps" on how to overcome Art Block become even more useless, irrelevant, and even dangerous in light of the said health issues. This condition has nothing to do with art.
Another condition that often contributes to Art Block is a lack of motivation and creative ideas. Let’s focus on this one.
But before we break the myth of Art Block, let’s digress for a second. Imagine a situation:
Reginald Knox
“Excuse me,” a young nurse gently touched Reginald Knox’s shoulder.
Not a single muscle twitched on the man’s face. He was too comfortable in his big leather armchair, his legs resting on a marble window sill.
“Excuse me,” the nurse insisted and this time firmly squeezed his shoulder.
Reginald Knox let out a long sigh, making it clear she was the cause of his frustration. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes.
“Yes, Clair. What’s the urgency?” he asked, clearly irritated.
“Mrs. Grant…”
“What about her?” Reginald Knox shook his head in disbelief.
“She is still waiting!” said Clair in a raised voice.
Knox slowly took out a Cuban cigar from his jacket’s inner pocket, bit off one end, and spat the tip on the floor. He then looked up at Clair with sad eyes. “Do you have a lighter, or something?”
“Dr. Knox! Should I remind you we are in a hospital! You can’t smoke here!” Clair almost jumped grabbing the cigar from Knox’s hand.
“Should I remind you, dear, this is my hospital?” Knox whispered, slowly leaning back, his head sinking into the armchair’s headrest. His eyelids, like two messengers of his exhaustion, leisurely crawled down over his blue eyes. He then let out another long sigh and said in an almost inaudible voice, “Not now, Clair. Please. Go away.”
Clair’s eyes widened, now competing in size with dinner plates. “Are you insane?! Mrs. Grant is on the surgical table! The whole damn team is waiting for you!”
“I told you, I believe that was two hours ago…”
“Four!” Clair interrupted.
“Sh*t. Time flies and waits for no man,” Dr. Knox said philosophically, letting out another sigh. “As I told you before, I can’t.”
Clair’s legs shook, forcing her to perch on the edge of a desk. Her delicate, long fingers covered her tired, thin face. She sobbed and, trying to suppress her tears, said in a shaking voice, “We can’t keep the donor’s heart in the transport box any longer. If you don’t operate now, Mrs. Grant… she… she will die!”
“Yeah… I know,” Knox dismissed indifferently. “You already said that four hours ago. Ask Jimmy.”
“Jimmy!? For Christ’s sake! He is not a cardiac surgeon! He’s a gardener!”
“I can’t. Not today.” Dr. Knox took a deep breath.
“But why? Why? For heaven’s sake?!” Clair shouted with all her might exploding into tears.
Dr. Knox hesitated for a few seconds, then with his eyes still closed murmured in annoyance, “I have art block.”
Now, imagine any other professional in a similar situation. No matter what profession you consider, it sounds absurd. Doesn’t it?
I guess you never looked at the concept of ‘art block’ from that perspective before.
Art Block - Lack Of Motivation and Creative Ideas
So, let’s get back to our second condition - lack of motivation and ideas.
There are tons, if not gazillions, of articles, essays, and YouTube videos on art block — how to diagnose (Diagnose? Isn’t art block itself a diagnosis?) and overcome it. 10 tips… 5 hints… 1,065,827 reasons… You name it.
I’ve read a few articles and watched a few highly-rated videos dedicated to art block - couldn’t bear to watch or read another on that subject. None of what I saw or read made sense to me.
I can only speak from my personal and professional experience, which also includes my knowledge of many different artists. If you disagree, that’s absolutely fine.
Lack of Motivation:
I can’t even imagine, in my wildest dreams, that any of the professionals I’ve known could lack motivation. In the real world, there’s no mercy. You have a deadline to meet. If you don’t, you don’t eat. You can’t pay bills. You can’t pay for your kid’s education. I think that’s enough motivation.
So, no “tips or tricks” on this one.
If someone’s stuck at what they do because of lack of motivation, it’s because of any of the following reasons, or a combination of them:
They are not professionals (don’t do it for a living)
They don’t love / aren’t passionate about it
There’s no urgency in what they do
They are not seriously involved
They don’t get paid
They don’t care
That then begs the question — why do they do it in the first place?
Anyway… I think we are done with motivation — it’s pretty much straight forward.
Lack of Creative Ideas:
Any professional can suffer from it once in a while. Anyone can. Our brains aren’t machines. They may refuse to cooperate. When they do, we can’t come up with new, fresh, interesting ideas, or we aren’t happy with the ideas we have.
Or we simply lack ideas.
In those moments, we would search for an acceptable solution. We used to call the process “creative searching” or simply “searching.” We would also refer to the condition as “creative constipation.”
“Creative searching” and “Art block” both refer to a lack of creative ideas, but they convey very different meanings:
“Creative searching” implies and means action.
“Art block” implies and means inaction.
Creative Searching
It is a natural process. Often a very long one. Often tiresome, and people naturally get tired. If you get tired, take a rest, then proceed again. Simple.
It is also a demanding process. Very much so. This is why some work long hours, days, and nights; some drink, some smoke, some go mental, and some find other ways to cope. It’s no joke. It’s hard work.
It’s all about action.
So, What Is That Art Block, Again?
“Art block” is a term used to give people an excuse for being passive, inactive, not searching for answers, and not exploring new creative ideas.
It’s a nice-sounding, fluffy phrase that covers up fear, lack of personal growth, and laziness. Yes — laziness. Which also explains the lack of personal growth.
Therefore, the proper definition is:
Art Block is a result of a person not investing in their personal growth and development.
Hence — Keep Creating
That being said, if you lack creative ideas to proceed with your artwork, design, writing — whatever you work on — you need to keep going and search for it.
Similarly, if you lost your keys, you wouldn’t just sit and wait for them to miraculously reappear from the clouds. You search for them… I hope you do.
Yes, there’s a chance you may never find them. Then, you just get new keys cut. In other words, walk away from the old concept of your artwork or design and start working on a new one.
Next time you run out of ideas, instead of saying “I’ve got art block,” simply start searching. You’ll see the positive impact of changing your attitude.
My Advice To You, Creative Soul
When or if you run out of ideas and find yourself in a state of “creative constipation,” or, even more importantly, to prevent you from ever getting into that state — invest in your development and personal growth. That means:
Keep creating.
Keep searching.
Be serious about what you do. I mean it.
Deepen your knowledge of the subject of your choice.
Motivate yourself by imposing a realistic deadline, and stick to it.
Love what you do. Be really passionate about it.
Read books, any book, on any subject — ideally good books. Lots of books.
Discover and meet interesting people. Learn from them.
Discover new places within a 10-20 minute walk from your home. When you’re done after a year or so, increase the time limit.
Discover new places, wherever you want (still discover the places mentioned above).
Start learning something new (a language, astronomy, anatomy — whatever you like) and continue until you’re happy with your level of knowledge. Yes, this may take months… years. Isn’t that cool?!
Do NOT get swallowed by Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or the like.
Cheers
