1. Read, Read, Read! This is something that almost always gets me out of my lethargy! Popular novels relaxes by taking my mind off daily cares! Heck when you are fighting Vampires and werewolves, who has time to worry about unpaid bills? Most importantly the books that are truly inspirational to me are my art history books! If you have read my blogs, you know that I am an art history buff! I even did a minor in art history! At this time I am reading a couple of books; one is What makes a Masterpiece, edited by Christopher Dell and another is Women, Art and Society by Whitney Chadwick. Jeez, those chicks had to really fight to get accaptance and to be able to do what they loved!! Wasting away precious time when I have been lucky enough to do what I love, seemed like blashphemy! This book was like a quick kick to my backside!!
2. Spy, Spy! Yup, I browse the internet and spy on other artists to get myself going! Also I visit the museums and galleries to see what everyone is up to! When you see everyone else is creating amazing art and all you are doing is wandering the halls in pajamas, it only makes you feel like a loser! Looking at other artists successes is the best way to start myself going!Okay, I admit, I suffer from artists envy! But it can be a good thing specially when I am being a mope!
3. Clean Clean Clean! Giving my studio and kitchen a good cleaning always makes me feel better! A cluttered studio, most of the time makes for a cluttered mind! So I cleaned my studio, and since I was in the mood, I cleaned the kitchen too! With everything spruced up, my spirit uplifted and I felt like I can take on the world!
4. Supplies! Yeah, shopping for supplies gets me going! I don't know any artist who doesnt feel excited in an art store! As I am lucky to have an ASW store within 30 miles from my home, I spent a few hours there! After spending a few hundred bucks, you can't really not work in a good concience! Ahh, the smell of turpentine and linseed oil, the touch of paper and canvas! Sure fire way to get into creative bliss. A little expensive to get into it but heck, when you are feeling like I was, it is worth it!
5. Diversify! I have been working with mixed media collages at this time..... Since I have been feeling a little bereft of ideas, I decided to focus on separate medium to get myself excited! By doing drawings and little pastel works, I felt my spirit lifted! Pastel is a completely new medium for me and working with pastel excited me so much, I forgot to mope!! In other words, when feeling creatively bankrupt, it is always helpful to delve into some other medium. The newer the medium the better! As artists we get so excited when mastering a new medium, it gets our creative juices flowing!
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| Temptation, Oil on Canvas, Ishita Bandyo |
I agree! I've been dealing with a bit of a funk for awhile now and I'm just realizing that I should be doing a bit more to bring myself out of it.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Ishita! I find this happens to me often, especially once fatigue has caught up to me!
ReplyDeleteI only recently discovered the joys of reading about art. I purchased 2 pastel books and 1 art business book. It's amazing how quickly you can become inspired. Once the passion is there I truly believe it never dies, just waits dormant for us to awaken it again.
I had a good laugh at your reference to "wandering the halls in pajamas"... so true. And then you end up looking at your art supplies thinking, gee I should really do something, after all if I don't make art then what will I have to talk about! That's something I have to keep reminding myself of, the art must come before anything else.
And like you said, keeping in touch with other artists and peeping through various sites can get you going so you don't fall off the bandwagon. Now as for supplies, aren't art stores just heaven. You walk in and it feels like you have the world at your fingertips... well except for that limiting factor called costs :)
But it's cool to try out new things for inspiration too and give yourself some freedom to learn and grow which keeps it challenging and interesting.
Really love this post, I will have to keep the link so that I can come back and read it when I hit those funk moments. No matter how great an artist you are, we all have our moments so a little inspiration would be awesome.
I am very happy that this one hit home:) We are creative people and there will be days when we feel bereft of ideas......But as long as we keep the goal insight we will be okay! And I tell ya, envy is a great motivator! Not jealousy but but seeing other people creating is like awake up call! I really recommend the book Women, art and Society! We are so lucky to be doing this! If we were a few hundred years before all we will be doing is wiping bums of 10 brats:))Happpy creative life to you guys!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Ishita! Great ideas. I will have to look into the Women, Art and Society book.
ReplyDeleteThank you Claudine! Its a good book to give us a perspective of women as artists!
ReplyDeleteYes! We are women, watch us create! Thanks for a great post, Ishita. Those are all great ideas- I especially love the "clean clean clean", does it every time. I'd love to add, "get out and look at the details in nature" and "take a lonnnnng hot shower". I now keep a dry erase marker in my shower because the ideas keep coming!
ReplyDeleteI love the honesty in your posts. Keep it up!
Good for you, Kristiana!!I think nature soothes us and helps us reconnect with our inner self!! I will remember to do that when we get above freezing temp;)
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