One of the trickiest parts of being an artist is maintaining momentum. I struggle with this and I also am amazed at how many artists that I work with do too.
The making of Art can be super hard and then it can feel easy and effortless. It is a roller coaster ride that, for the most part, is tolerable. After all, life is like that too. We have good days and bad days.
However, when we add the additional difficulty of just showing up, of trying to squeeze our art practice into our busy life, it all can feel somewhat exhausting. In fact, for many artists, it can derail their ability to make art at all. It just is too overwhelming.
However, it doesn’t have to be. The key to this is understanding that there are 2 challenges here: the first being the actual garden-variety struggle involved with art making, while the second has to do with creating a sustainable art practice.
Art making always involves a degree of struggle. Getting information about materials, getting clear on what your own art is about takes time. It is an ongoing process. However, fixing the second one, making it easier to actually show up to make the work, is far easier to remedy. It has a lot to do with your thinking. And that can change very quickly.
After years of making art I came to an important realization about my art practice. It has buoyed my art making and has saved me countless hours of time.
It really is quite simple. And it is this:
Changes come more easily when you are making your Art than when you are away and merely thinking about it.
I used to do a lot of worrying and fretting in the middle of the night about whether my work was good enough or how I might fix certain problems. I would spend considerable time looking at other artists’ work to see if maybe the answers might lie there. It wasn’t that worrying and spending time searching the Internet for answers wasn’t helpful, as sometimes it did shed some light onto my challenges. However, it just became tiring to be always thinking about the difficulty in my art 24/7.
I was involved in the struggle of making art even when I wasn’t making art, which was pretty much most of my day. So I stopped. I realized that if I just postponed worrying about the art till I actually was in front of it that I could save myself hours of needless time focusing on trying to solve imagined problems.
And then I found out something wonderful and surprising.
I came to see that solving the problems and improving my art was far easier to do when I was actually in front of it, than when I was out to dinner 5 hours later with friends or even trying to sleep. It seems obvious now but it took me years to figure this out.
Additionally, much to my surprise, rarely were the imagined problems, the ones I was constantly thinking about when I was not making art, as difficult or as complicated as they turned out to be once I was. Things just were not that bad once in my studio listening to Earl Klugh on my Bose headphones and proactively making real changes to my art.
My father used to say to me that our problems, our challenges in life will never look bigger, feel more daunting than they do at 2 am in the silent darkness of a sleepless night. I think there is a lot of truth to this. Context matters.
There is no burning imperative to figure everything out remotely, when you cannot even see your art. You don’t have to do it the hard way. Avoiding this pattern will free up a huge amount of time and energy for when you are actually making art.
Instead of overly thinking everything, spend the time you are not making art doing those things that inspire and make you feel alive. It is, after all, the richness, the quality of the time you spend not making art, that so powerfully and poetically effects the time when you do.
In gratitude, Nicholas
28 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.
Join me and artists from all over the world in our Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group or learn more here about Art2Life.
Okay, I don’t know how you do this, but it’s uncanny how you seem to know and address my current state of mind . . . thank you again!
Good reminder! Need to hear this. Thanks!
That’s me. It does cause some sleepless nights. Thanks for pointing it out. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one that is experiencing this. It is so simple when you stand back and realize what the fix is. It’s not as bad if you know what you are painting but when you are stuck it just drives you crazy thinking about what you will do next takes up all your time. You are good.
Hi thanks for the insight. Yes I guess I am also guilty of some of this especially – the not good enough bit and the constantly looking for answers bit. I have promised myself to stop this now though as it is meant to be an enjoyment and not a trial.
Perfect timing. And that will be so hard to do in the wee hours of the morning when I start obsessing about a painting, especially one that is time sensitive. Thanks, Nicholas.
Sooo true! Your previous advice to just “do something” helps to get unstuck and keep it going. I’m working on a 6’x6’camvas that will probably be the painting “without an end” as I plan to just enjoy painting on it, changing direction, gessoing over, etc..without the need to finish…ever! It’s very freeing.
I read the Artist’s way and instead of doing ‘morning pages’, the type scribbled onto scrap paper for later disposal, I now do morning pages in a beautiful notebook, with ink pen and doodles. THis opens up a huge amount of overthought and stretches time into the right hemisphere of the brain
Hi, i agree with everything you say Nicholas. It puts everything in perspective reading your words. I do spend a lot of time thinking which direction to go in. Am i on the right path etc etc. The doing is the thing. I really dont always know which direction to go i
Thing. Thank you for your insights.
I am totally guilty of this, what’s worse than rethinking something you felt was finished, but realized you wanted to change the affect and impression that the finished product was sending. I make handmade cards and they rarely seem perfect to me. I redo a lot, sometimes I am able to utilize parts of it, by directing it. It’s a win then, if I am able to put something together, but find that I’ve lost a lot of time in the reworking. I’ve never had professional training, and fear this maybe part of my problem. I welcome and appreciate all advice or comments.
Thanks; your posts are definitely worthwhile reading! I look forward to receiving them in my email.
I do a lot of manifest destiny with my art before I start I imagine it done and really good which I believe helps the process for me
Your inspiring words really helped me to put things into perspective.
I now hope to enjoy this journey a lot more. Rather than being so hard on my self which blocks me.
Thank you for taking the time to inspire beginner artists like me.
Great words again Nicholas. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I also love this painting – reminds me of circus tents from my childhood. Very special.
Excellent words. Thank you.
Love this! Thank you!
Thanks Nicholas- a great reminder to stay on track and just ‘do it ‘ .
Spot on. Thank you Nicholas.
I know what you are saying . I am so put off by looking at all the fantastic , talented artists out there and adore looking at their work and difrent styles. I end up not doing anything for a long time . Plus I had a brain op a few years ago and since then my mind flits . I want to sketch then I want to do bright abstract work then I want to do cartoons so I never settle with what I really want to do .
People say I’ve got talent saying I’m 60 and I’ve not done any art since I was at school . Always loved art . Never liked to be trapped in lines like the stress books they have out I get more stressed trying to keep in the confines of the lines I like my hand to be free to do its thing that’s my problem no controls. . Pauline
Just turned on Earl Klugh now in my studio…..
Yes, I’m right there. Haven’t produced anything for months. But this last thing you said Nick is bang on. Art comes from who you are and so you have to get you right first. If all that is going on in you is worry about Art making is confusion then I guess that’s all that’s come out of you.
“…Instead of overly thinking everything…” as always, thank you for your excellent advice.
Great insight, Nicholas. Just let the higher self do the processing, don’t get in the way with all that conscious fretting.
Once again you calm my thoughts and I get it!
Thanks so much
Thank you!
TOO True!!!
Very true and a reminder for me to be mindful and stay present. Thank you
In other words, there is no other way to do it except to just do it.
Making art is such a solitary occupation that it’s very special to read these blog posts and the comments. They reassure and motivate. Thank you so much.