Creative Unblocking for Painters
We all have suffered creative blockages at one time or the other -- whether the inability to come up with any ideas for a new work or solve a problem within the painting we're working on or a complete blockage that makes us unable to create at all.
Hopefully, you're not suffering creative blockage -- if you are or you're simply looking for different ways to look at the world, try these links:
Creativity
Basics
Excellent site describes creativity, obstacles to creativity, and coping with daily
distractions which interrupt the creative process. Included are steps for improving your
creativity.
Idea
Recording Strategies
Learn to keep a sketchbook with you at all times or try some of the other methods for
recording your ideas.
If you've forgotten what it's like to enjoy art, the exercises in Child's Play are guaranteed to loosen you up.
Inspirational Reading
Here's a list of books that I truly recommend as providing good sources of
inspiration and creativity. As a result of a commercial relationship between About.com,
its Guides and Barnes & Nobles.com online booksellers, these titles can be purchased directly from
Barnes & Nobles.com by following the links below. (Note: Barnes & Nobles.com is solely responsible for
fulfillment of book orders placed through these links.)
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
by Julia Cameron
Comprehensive twelve-week program designed to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, such as sabotage, jealousy and guilt, and replace those feelings with self-confidence and productivity. Paperback
Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life
by Shakti Gawain
Simple exercises, meditation, and encouragement are used by Gawain to show readers how to use the power of their imaginations to creates what they want in life, change negative habits, improve self-esteem, or reach career goals. PaperbackDrawing on the Artist Within: An Inspirational & Practical Guide to Increasing Your Creativity Powers
by Betty Edwards
Sequel to "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" expands on the techniques presented in the first book with further exercises to coax right brain perception and comprehension into awareness. PaperbackDrawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity & Artistic Confidence
by Betty Edwards
Betty Edwards explains how anyone can learn to draw more accurately and creatively by following her series of exercises. PaperbackHow to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
On Not Being Able to Paint
by Michael J. Gelb
Sharpen your senses and liberate your unique intelligence by following the examples of Leonardo da Vinci. Paperback
by Joanna Field
Ideal for both professional and amateur "creatives," Field explores what interferes with our creative process and how it can be freed. PaperbackPassages
by Gail Sheehy
An insightful book provides a roadmap of the different stages of adult life with ways to turn life crises into creative opportunities. PaperbackThe Vein of Gold
by Julia Cameron
The follow-up to The Artist's Way includes essays and over a hundred exercises to expand creativity. PaperbackThe Zen of Seeing
by Frederick Franck
Written and illustrated to stimulate artists to observe the beauty in everyday life and to record it with simple sketches. Paperback
