Sometimes you just get stuck. You are painting along fine and then you reach a point where you don’t know what to do. It might be because you have fallen in love and have lost objectivity. It might because the color is off somehow. But usually you stop and pullover because you just actually have no idea what to do. You truly have never been here before.
This is a good strategy in most circumstances. But in art, sometimes you think you can figure it out if you think hard enough, but in actual fact you can’t. It is hard to imagine too many steps ahead in a painting. Having no clear image to shoot for is somewhat terrifying but there it is. You have come to a place in the road that you can go no further. So logically we stop.
And then, since no new clear information is conjured up, we tend to stay stopped. Stuck.
So I don’t know the full answer but I think I know a small part of it.
And here it is…
When you hit a roadblock, when you can’t keep moving in one direction, instead of stopping, you just go left or right. You pivot. In other words you keep moving in a way that is different even though you might not know the outcome. The important thing is to just keep moving. You might even be pretending to be moving towards something but if you can keep moving, if the dance can continue, the answer, the solution to what was stopping you arrives more quickly.
Interestingly, questions that arise in the process of making your art are often best answered from doing instead of thinking. If you can just keep mark making, faking it almost, then your art continues to change. It is this changing that actually starts to give you the crucial information about what you might do next. The changing art seems constantly new and fresh and as a result you can remain objective. And being objective allows you to see your art and what to do next, more easily.
So next time you find yourself just staring at your art not knowing what to do and minutes are turning into hours just remember…. Move. Take action even if you don’t know what to do. Do anything. Trust your intuition and simply dance.
That is a pretty good answer till a better once comes along.
And from my experience, it always does. Do you ever get stuck? And when you do how do you get unstuck?
In Gratitude, Nicholas
20 Comments
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
the founder of Art2Life.
With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
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Yes – I was there this morning. Chaos on the canvas and I had no idea where to take it. So i just chose a colour, got really close to the big canvas, too close to know what effect I was having and painted some lines. And then painted some more lines and it was good – going somewhere. I also turn the canvas around and I take a photo of the different stages. Sometimes I get ideas from looking at the photo. Good thing to do on the bus 🙂
Yes! I am stuck right now. I have some ideas on how to move forward but (here it is…) I’m afraid I’m going to “mess it up”. Sheesh. This usually happens when I am painting a subject that is out of my comfort zone. Maybe this is the nudge I need to get moving again. Thank you.
I’m stuck most of the time, thinking I’ll never do a good painting again. And it’s probably because I’m trying to do a good painting. I know I know I know every time that my good paintings happen by chance. But I can’t seem to learn this. Trying to do something good is just a killer.
You are absolutely right Nicholas. The best way to get out of blockages is to keep going. I personally try to cultivate a “nothing to loose” attitude, it is only paper (wood board or canvas) and paint after all! Most of the time, it is during those “nothing to loose” periods that I get most of my inspiration and direction for futur projects.
If I am stuck I just leave it and move on to something else and keep going. By that time by doing several I will be better and can always go back to the unfixables!
I’m stuck right now! Amazing how many other things I can find to work on to avoid working on the pieces I don’t know what to do with. But I’m sure you’re right…just bite the bullet and proceed… either that or the box cutter to cut the darn think off the stretcher!! Ok, ok… today I face up!
Thanks, I needed that!
Hard to do, but I just walk away. See it with fresh eyes when I return. Not the picture i had in mind to start with, but only I know that. The main thing is to relax and enjoy it. If you don’t it shows in your finished painting.
I find it interesting that you used a detail from Keifer’s “Der Rhine” and not the whole. Perhaps that’s one of this jolts we can use. Zoom in one on section to give us a fresh eyes. I’ve got a thing going right now with four great sections, but no overall cohesion. I want to save each, but may have to sacrifice something for the sake of the whole. Maybe start another painting using the one section that will have to go as a starting point for the new.
When I get stuck I begin a new painting or collage or go out to take pictures. Sometimes trying another material helps.
Thank you for your advice
Totally agree about keeping something happening. Play is good, because it takes away the intensity. So just messing about can open possibilities – but it’s all in the attitude. If you ‘play’ to get unblocked, it’s not really play, is it?
I am stuck right now because I have a deadline coming up for a show. I can feel my body actually tense and struggle against this deadline. I like the idea of just mark making and letting go but it can be hard to do. I tried to ‘copy’ a section that I really liked in one ‘good’ painting into another and I do not like the result. Now I am staring at this yellow, pink, orange under painting and wishing I had the nerve to just go with ‘something’ instead of trying to fix it. Maybe the white gesso will come out next.
When I have that kind of pressure….I always ask myself “what would the crazy lady who shows up after I leave the studio do to this?”….takes away those anxious feelings and usually makes me laugh when I hear her answer!
I think I am the crazy lady – who needs to take myself less seriously and have some fun.
You are so gifted at writing about the art process and such great advice! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insight. Its so helpful!
When I get stuck, I take a break and photograph the work and put on the NOTESHELF APP…..And do a lot of different directions and a lot of experimenting with it on the iPad. Sometimes just photographing is enough to give me a new direction. If all fails to direct, I turn it to the wall and go on to another. I usually work on at least three at a time to always give me a fresh look.
For some reasons today your thoughts make me think of the new vacuum that my daughter has in her home. It’s one of those that runs around the house working on its own…but the interesting thing is…when it runs into a roadblock, it simply turns to the right or left and moves in another direction. After awhile you would think it would just get stuck somewhere and couldn’t move…but amazingly enough, it actually cleans the entire area…and then returns to its docking port and plugs itself in! So what does that have to do with my getting stuck? When it happens, I step back from the problem and look around the studio to see what comes to mind. A change of music? Pull out some paper and collage for a few minutes? Prepare a couple of underpaintings? Those are my left and right turns….and like “Dusty”, it gets the job done.
I get stuck allot and start thinking I can’t paint at all. I will put it aside and start something else or just do something totally bold and unexpected on the painting I’m stuck on. Usually that jolts me out of the rut I have dug and turns me in a very different direction that leads to something good.
Nicholas…thank you so much and thank you to all those with comments….I so needed this inspiration today! Personnally and as an artist.
Nicolas, you have brought so many good suggestions and insight to me!
I am always impressed with your generosity. Sharing your experiences and helping us sift out our own dilemmas.
Thank for your continued inspiration!
Susan
Nicholas…thank you for your wisdom! I enjoy reading both your writing and these comments. For myself, as well as for my students, I usually say’ When you are stuck, look at your range of tone.’ Usually, stuckness can be moved if one adds some darks or lights somewhere to get the image ‘moving’ again. Thanks again for a great blog! Carolyn