[UPDATE: An earlier draft of this went up with only 5 problems and 15 solutions.]
I didn’t really paint in June, for a bunch of reasons. I feel better when I’m regularly doing art than when I’m not, yet it’s so easy to fall into the pattern of not painting. There are lots of reasons I might not want to or be able to paint, and it’s not always obvious what’s at play. Sometimes there are practical reasons for my seeming lack of motivation, and fixes can be surprisingly simple. I made this quick reminder page to help diagnose the reasons and some solutions.
Lack of space
This was the main issue for me in June: I started a job and my desk became my “work desk.” Technically I could have used the same desk for both if I routinely cleared off my work stuff, set up my paint stuff, then cleared it up again and set up my work stuff. But come on! That’s too much work. Even a small amount of friction can be the difference between “I will paint” and “ehhh, I won’t bother.” When I have to put a bunch of effort into setting up a work area, I feel like I have to paint a lot and paint well to justify it, and that’s too much pressure. I tend to paint when I have everything set out at all times, so I can pick it up “just for a few moments” (and sometimes that turns into an hour).
Solutions:
- Set up a permanent work space. It doesn’t need to be complicated. I put a small table next to a window in a corner. I like to work standing up, so I used bed risers to put it at counter height.
- Leave out your stuff. Minimizing prep work for next time helps reduce friction to starting. It’s also a visual reminder of the projects I have in the pipeline.
- Make storage as convenient as possible. My art supplies live on a nearby shelf. Things I need often, such as paint tubes, tape, and pencils, are organized in small open bins.
Lack of time
If I’m busy, it’s really difficult to find time to paint! This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if I’m busy with fun activities. Sometimes, the solution as simple as giving yourself grace and trusting that the busy season will pass.
Solutions:
- Work in smaller time increments. It’s a myth that you need a large unbroken block of time to make any progress on your art. Especially if your stuff is always set up! It can be as simple as finding just five minutes at a time to do a little markmaking practice or paint a layer in between other activities. This can work really well for watercolor since waiting for paint to dry might otherwise be dull.
- Work in unusual places. If your activities call you from home frequently, it might be time to start packing a lightweight sketching kit that you can use anywhere. Art journaling can be a great way to notice your surroundings, record memories, and process thoughts and feelings.
- Establish a routine. I find that when my daily routine changes, art time frequently falls by the wayside until I can figure out how to work it back into my typical day. To carve out hobby time, find triggers in your existing routine, such as building off an established daily activity (“after dinner”), combining it with something you’re doing anyway (“while on my daily lunch walk”), or replacing an activity you want to cut (“instead of scrolling instagram”).
Stress
Lately, my lack of space and/or time have been caused by other major stressors, such as moving, new job, unstable living conditions, medical problems, family emergencies, executive functioning struggles, etc. These life stressors can create vicious circles: they prevent me from doing the activities that help me to self-regulate, which in turn adds to my stress. The good news? The flip side of a vicious circle is a virtuous circle: if I can get some good things going (such as 5 minutes a day to do art), those improvements can often build on each other, too.
Solutions:
- Do what’s easy. Remove any pressure on your self such as the idea that you need to be constantly growing/challenging yourself, or that you need to create “good” art. What do you need or want right now? If the answer is just to make some marks on a page, or splash some color around, do that – don’t worry about the outcome.
- Take comfort in the familiar. If there is a particular activity, exercise, or scene that you feel drawn to return to again and again, let yourself. It’s a good time to return to your mood board of tried-and-true favorite colors, images, scenes, and themes – or make one.
- Make it smaller. Literally. Work on smaller paper. Or tape off your paper into little squares. It can feel “worth it” to just do a color study in a small square, where a larger page would seem to demand a more complex scene. Working small gives you a sense of accomplishment faster and lets you experiment with low stakes.
Boredom
Sometimes I’m demotivated because my work is starting to feel samey and uninspired. The opposite strategies work for boredom and stress. The problem is that I don’t always know whether I’m feeling boredom or stress; I can go so subtly from one to the other. Sometimes it’s trial-and-error to figure out which solutions feel right and which ones are counterproductive.
Solutions:
- Do what’s hard. Take on a challenge. Attempt something that you feel is beyond your current capabilities. The worse that can happen is a big mess.
- Try a different technique. Explore a new or unfamiliar technique, style, subject, medium, or tool. Whether or not you end up sticking with it and incorporating it into your usual practice, it can be invigorating to shake things up, activate your curiosity, and get into a beginner’s mindset.
- Seek out novel inspiration. Experience new art. Go to a museum, watch a movie, get a book from the library. Explore a different medium, artist, style, landscape, culture, or historical time period than your usual set of influences.
Frustration
Sometimes I burn out, not from external stressors, but from art itself. This especially happens when I invest myself in a particular piece and it’s just not clicking. It doesn’t come out how I want, and I don’t know what went wrong. Maybe I start over, and the same thing happens again. I begin to associate art with frustration and avoid it.
Solutions:
- Take a break. I know the title of this is “why am I not painting” but sometimes if you’re frustrated, it’s good that you’re not painting. It’s burnout prevention. Let yourself rest.
- Do something completely different. It can be tempting to keep trying the same piece over and over until you get it right, but forcing it usually doesn’t help. A change can be as good as a rest: work on a completely different piece, ideally in a totally different style or medium. That way you can still be creative, but in a way that lets you reset.
- Try perfectionism-busting strategies. Frustration is often borne of perfectionism: putting too much pressure or expectation on yourself to be “good.” To get out of that mindset, try exercises that do an end run around your perfection, like making intentionally bad art; using kids’ craft supplies like crayons that encourage childlike play; or working in a medium that’s unfamiliar to you so that you can be a beginner again.
Lack of ideas
Sometimes you want to work, but the blank page gets you: you just don’t know what to put down.
Solutions:
- Queue up inspo. Spend some time finding references you’d like to paint sometime. (I find it easiest to do this when I’m not actively trying to find something to paint right now; it can replace doomscrolling time.) Make a list, create a file folder, set up a Pinterest board, etc – whatever method works for you. Then when you’re ready to paint, you have a curated set of references to choose from.
- Follow a program. Follow a pre-curated sequence of projects from a class, book of tutorials, Youtube playlist, challenge, etc. For example, when I worked through all of Kolbie Blume’s first book. It was very relaxing to be able to turn to the next project each day and not worry about finding something new to paint.
- Paint a series. You can create your own program or sequence by choosing to paint a bunch of thing in the same category, ideally with a set sequence. This is why I painted all the US National Parks, for example.
Executive dysfunction
I have ADHD, so sometimes there is no logical reason I am not doing something I want to do. My brain just won’t let me do start a new task or shift between tasks. While I don’t have a foolproof way of breaking out of this type of dysfunction, I have developed some strategies.
Solutions:
- Put on audio entertainment. Because of my ADHD, I often have a hard time focusing on one thing at a time. Just painting can be a tough sell. Putting on music, TV, or a podcast can be helpful to occupy the rest of my brain while I paint. The key is to put it on and then just stand or sit by my painting table. Just sitting in front of the entertainment is also boring, so I will naturally start to fidget by picking up whatever is near – hopefully some art supplies.
- Just do the first step. If it’s intimidating to commit to Making a Painting, what if you just did a layer, or chose a reference? Usually when I get started, I keep going, but I might have to trick myself to get started.
- Procrastinate on something else. If it’s this or clean the bathroom, what do you choose? (If you choose clean the bathroom, at least the bathroom gets clean.)
Conclusion
Look: you don’t have to paint. Or draw, or do any hobby. If working on your hobby is causing you more stress than it’s worth right now, that’s the opposite of what it’s supposed to do. Not painting is always an option. But if you want to paint, you crave painting, but you just aren’t, I hope trying one of these strategies can help you to break out of your rut.
After a rough June, I’ve painted fairly regularly in July. The catalyst was setting up space, which also let me do art in smaller increments of time. I also began to establish a routine of doing art in the evenings after work, instead of playing video games. And because doing classes or challenges feels overwhelming, I’m letting myself do what seems easy and fun, which for me is mostly loose watercolor interpretations of colorful skyscape photos from Unsplash. Maybe next I’ll get bored and begin adding more challenge – or maybe it will be a while yet! I’ve been at this just long enough to trust that the ebb and flow of inspiration is cyclical.