Break Your Creative Block

1.  Turn off the television and unplug from your devices!  Find a change of scenery. Take a walk in the woods.  Go down to the river or the park.  Your creative juices are waiting to fill your mind with new ideas that will entertain you!  Don't forget to take your camera!

2.   Take photos of subject matter that captivates and excites you.  Create a file on your computer of things that you want to paint. 

 3.  Use photo software to get creative and play with your photos. I guarantee you'll be amazed and come away with fresh inspiration to paint!

 4.  If you love to paint flowers, look at the works of Georgia O’Keefe.  If you love landscapes, study Winslow Homer.  Google the genre of your passion and see what other master artists have done.  Get excited for what you will do.

 5.   Ward off discouragement.  Don't compare yourself to anyone else.  The only person you can compare yourself to is you.  Where are you in your art?  Did you learn something new this week?  Smile and be encouraged!  

 6.   Experiment and choose new colors you haven't tried.  Apply paint in a new way.  So, you’re wondering how you’ll paint in a new way, if you’ve never done it before.  Just start experimenting and your creative brain will take over.  There's nothing more exciting than making a new discovery on your own! 

 7.   Keep an art journal.  Experiment with colors that you love.  Paint swatches of colors in your journal and jot down how you mixed them.  Sketch and gesture draw.  It’ll make you smile.  

 8.   Listen to the comedy channel on Pandora.  Laugh.  Laughter is great medicine for the soul and will help heal painters block.  It’ll also help you not to take yourself too seriously.

 9.   While painting, try listening to music without words.  Sometimes words cloud your thinking and distract your creative right brain.  I listen to the "Piano Guys” when I paint.

 10.  Put a blank canvas on your easel and envision what you want to create.  Plan your journey, but let the painting unfold and delight you with wonders you didn’t expect.  If you can’t envision a painting, then paint an abstract.  Start putting colors on the canvas and paint your feelings.  Some of my best works have been abstract paintings.  It’s not what I normally paint, but when I do paint them, they don’t hang around long before they’re sold.