ART BLOCK

My wall of doubt blocks the path, I can’t imagine anything but this madness I have, Squeezing my dried-up brain to get a drop of brilliance, yet nothing is left but self-doubt. Crumpled papers start to build up in my room, scratch to trash due to the inconsistency of my imagination. How devastated I am that I’ve lost my passion. I stared at my blank paper, grab my pencil, and draw a line but it stopped, I can’t continue because my mind is blocked.

This experience is nothing new as many artists encountered what so-called Art Block. Art block or Creative block is the time when an artist has no idea where to start or what to draw. They cannot access their creativity or they cannot bring themselves to create a new piece of work. An artist that is exhausted is vulnerable in the art block. Stress caused by the environment and also the lack of trust in his/her ability.

All creative people do experience art block and it also applies in any form of art. Persons that have a profession related to art battles this kind of difficulty. There are plenty of reasons or causes of an art block.

The environment
Noise such as dog barks, Car engines, and loud conversation are some of the distractions that can easily alter or lose your focus. Apart from this distraction is the mental noise that you are dealing with, this might be problems involving your personal or social life, It can affect your mind hence blocking your inventiveness.

Pressure
In a profession related to art, there is no doubt that some clients will give you a hard time like their expectations, In personal pressure like over-thinking and carrying many things on your shoulder that eventually led to your collapse and a hard time making a new idea

Self Doubt
Overthink and not trusting yourself can easily affect your artistry. It is the number one enemy for many artists due to low confidence and questioning their ability.

Criticism
It’s hard to accept the truth, people will often judge your work based on what they see. Criticism can reduce confidence and motivation which can lead to self-doubt.

Turn your problems into courage according to Phil Stutz and Barry Michels in their book called The Tools. It is supposed to help people who deal with Art block or Creative Block. In their book, there are five ways to deal with it.

Force yourself

As much as you don’t want to hear it, forcing yourself is one of the ways to get over creative block. Force yourself by having a ritual that leads to work, force yourself to sit by your desk even if nothing is coming into your head, or force yourself by doodling or writing something on the screen. Sometimes the creative juices start flowing when you doodle aimlessly.

Block out negative thoughts

Most of the time we are distracted by negative thoughts. This will never be good enough/I’m a terrible writer/designer/I’ll be fired as soon as I show my work/they don’t like me here… Recognize those thoughts? I bet you do. No creative person that brings something new into the world is devoid of those thoughts. Learn how to block them. If you can command your brain not to think about them, your creativity may begin to flow.

Go for a walk or a run

Physical activity is one of the things that might wake the brain up. Murakami, the famous Japanese writer is a runner. He claims that running almost every day clears his mind because he doesn’t think about anything while he runs. He listens to his breathing, to his footsteps, to the wind in the trees but hardly ever thinks about what he is about to write.

Take a nap

I have heard that trick from many writers. When they are stuck and nothing comes up they take a short nap. Sometimes ‘sleeping on it’ works and things become clearer. Even if they don’t become clear, at least you are refreshed now and can sit for another 2 hours by your desk.

Meditate

In other words, again, empty your mind and don’t bother with your feelings. Concentrate on something outside of you – a word, a rhyme, a color inside your eyelids. Sometimes you might fall asleep and that brings us to the benefits of a nap, Sometimes you will wake up feeling rejuvenated.

Art block can be easily cured you just need to appreciate your work and be proud of it. Stop thinking of what-ifs and start believing in yourself. Acceptance is a must, you just need to accept everything and turn everything into strength. Rather than pressuring yourself find a time to enjoy and relax to clear your head from negativity.

“Art is an experience not the formulation of a problem”
-Lindsay Anderson

Santos, F.(2012)5 WAYS TO UNBLOCK YOUR CREATIVITY
https://thedeependdesign.com/5-ways-to-unblock-your-creativity/