One thing most artists struggle with is getting back to painting after a life interruption. Today's Newsletter Tip is personal because that's where I am right now.
No matter what kind of roll we are on with our painting, at some point, life will slam on the brakes. When that happens, we must be
gentle with ourselves and be willing to allow painting to be put on hold for a while. If there is any nudge of guilt, we're better off to acknowledge it for what it is and replace it with an acceptance of what's needed right now.
Time away from painting will cause cobwebs and rust to creep into our artistic lives. The longer we're away from it, the more distant we
become from it. Sadly, some artists never get back to their work after a long hiatus, and whether that happens is a matter of will. Once we surface from whatever stopped us to begin with, we will have nudges from our inner artist. Answering that nudge or yielding to excuse-making is a choice.
It might be futile to dive back in head first, expecting the muse to take over and pick up where we left off, although not impossible. A
wiser answer is ease back as if you've never painted before. Here are a few things that work for me:
1. Play in your sketchbook:
- Just begin. Sketch stuff around you with no intention except to allow your hand to move with holding a pencil or crayon
- Push some paint around on the page just to watch it move.
- Write whatever thoughts come into your head
2. Play Some More:
- Give your play a little intention, like exploring value patterns or playing with color mixtures or random gesture drawing
Allow yourself all the time you need. It might take several days of just playing with visual stuff, but just getting your
hands moving with materials will wake up the muse. Be patient and squash any judgment. Just allow it.
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