Disappointment
- Successive disappointments with finished paintings.
- —Guest Lorraine Hosking
Crippling Fear
- I get a piece to a place that I really love it, but know it's not finished. Then I am overcome with fear of wrecking it so don't touch it again for longer periods of time than I care to admit!
- —dcoulson0804
The Dual: Work and Creativity
- I work full time in an environment that is utterly unlike anything resembling an artistic environment and alien the creative spirit of expression. Even the name of my department says a lot toward the dilemna I've faced for twenty some years: "Sterile Processing." Not only is the nature of my working environment indifferent to creative expression but like many 'institutions' there is a serious conflict with it and determined effort to stifle such thinking. The other employees I work with in this, a large hospital surgical related department, moreover have no understanding of art nor any interest in it. So the dilemna I've faced and battled with is their rather extreme polarity of work and art. When I get out of it I feel dulled and alienated from artistic endeavors.
- —Guest ollyoxenfree
Making Excuses and Stress
- I think a lot of times I make up too many excuses not to sketch and paint. I know that somewhere in me there's a creative side waiting to come out. Painting to me and drawing is a time to just be yourself. I sketch from time to time, and I think I"m fairly good at it. Stress also does not help either. I just have to not let those to factors interfere. Be creative!
- —Guest Lorraine Orsinger
Unorganized
- I am terribly unorganized in my craft room and when I cannot find something I tend to just get frustrated and give up. Sometimes I tend to stand in the doorway of the craft room and just look at it and turn away. Also, another deterrent to creativity is depending on others' opinions to validate what I do...if they like it, then I am geared up and ready to work on piece after piece of artwork (I work in acrylics and incorporate my calligraphy in with it); and another thing I tend to do is compare my work with others which I know is a no-no! So work on organizing and having more confidence in myself would be a huge step forward...
- —Guest susan
Mood
- Simple: a depressed mood. I am not lucky like Soutine or Van Gogh for instance to search into this suffering disease, the creativity. I have to be healthy for the painting activity. Painting requires of me lots of energy. At last, the other thing which interferes with my creativity is wanting to reach a too high level because I have discovered a new painter and so I want to do like him !
- —yover
Indecision
- I think not being able to decide on what to paint is mostly my problem. Generally I have so many ideas rolling around in my head and can't seem to zero in on any one of them and that drives me crazy. When that happens I do other art related things like gessoing canvas, reading art books, repairing nicks and chipped paint on frames, cleaning up my painting area.
- —Guest papaya
Just Plain Everything
- I'm reading all of the responses, and can say that almost all of these have been excuses for me to not paint, I have found other outlets, like baking, and I taught myself to knit, but I can't seem to get back to art... I feel lost.
- —Guest Jen
In the Mind Not Hands
- Artists block is only in the mind. It is not in the hands of the artist. When it happens to me I let my imagination wander on canvas.
- —Guest cmagpie
Interference
- My "can't do" mental video tape. Currently it is can't do shadow like I want to, can't do surfer pose body, can't do perspective and lettering..etc. So, tonight I was drawing versus painting and just enjoying shading. Than I was thinking that no matter how old I get I get put my makeup on and try to dress up. I need to paint like THAT. I need to paint like it is just something I do everyday without pass or fail, without pro or con. I would never go with out brushing my teeth. OKAY THEN...I have a few hours before bed...off to paint NOW.
- —Guest Rebecca Snow
Time to Paint?
- Thinking I am taking "precious" time away from my house or yard... and I "feel" guilty about it... That's why I think there should be a rule made time out for fun"! PAINTING! My mind "stores" how I would paint this or that, but somehow, never gets on canvas.
- —Bettyncal
Creativity
- Creativity is what comes to life through the human body's eyes as they faithfully read what the (eyes of the) imagination sees.
- —Guest Xago
Me
- The loads of paintings in my head are always more everything... the cleaning, gardening, children, shopping take over .. this talent I feel and sometimes see is almost like a burden because I avoid giving it time.
- —jothegardener
Painting for Someone Other than Myself!
- Trying to imagine what someone else thinks the painting should look like, instead of just enjoying the brush strokes, color, and textures I like, is a sure turn-off for my own exploration and creativity. Takes all the fun out of it. I can only express what is in my own imagination and emotions at the time. Trying to paint what I think someone else might like freezes the right side of my brain!
- —KanduArt
Painters Block
- I had been painting with a group for ten years and we lost our place to paint. None of us have room at our homes for the large group that we were and I have not been able to get my mind on my art. I joined a drawing class (which I didn't need) to keep involved with art but have not been able to really think of painting.
- —Guest Lizart7
