I spoke to someone who is struggling to show up for their art. He walks by his studio and looks at the unfinished work on the table, and keeps walking…
At the same time he shared the real pull he feels to make art. He feels called to create! So, what can we do about it?
Hey there! 👋 I’m Carrie. Here on Artist Strong I help self-taught artists who have a home studio, feeling stuck with their art, move from wondering what’s next to confidently expressing themselves through unique, original art. To date, thousands have joined the community.
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Right now I’m working on some ideas that make me feel uncomfortable. So much so that I started one of my drawings months ago and then avoided it as much as I could. I was scared. Did I have the skill to achieve the results I imagine? Will anyone get it? And where will I show it? I’ve been rejected most places since arriving in Texas.
This tension between the call to create and the choice to show up and do it will always be with us. We all need to find our way to cope with it.
The call to create is aspirational. It’s about dreams, putting down the ideas we have in our mind, and adding joy and happiness to the lives of those who see it.
For me, it’s also about being seen, affirmation of the work (and me), and changing lives.
🤢
I felt grandiose writing that! But it’s in line with this notion of purpose, of being called to create.
Separately, we have the act of creating. This is very tangible and includes the labor of doing the work. Sometimes it’s fun and goes smoothly. Sometimes, not so much.
So we return to the safety of the aspirations we hold. Of dreaming of the art we could make, sitting with the pain of not actually making the art.
The thing we often seem to skip is realizing we experience pain or discomfort in either state. We either remain in the dream, wistful and longing. Perhaps regretting. OR, we face the discomfort of making art that doesn’t (YET) meet the vision of our aspirations.
It’s why, even though I still keep fighting it, I’m back at that drawing, much closer to done. I want to make those aspirations a tangible reality. And the ONLY means of doing so is showing up and making more art.
Here are three things that help me continue to show up:
Create several works at a time
When I have works at different stages of completion it means I can jump around if I get bored and I always have something to work on.
Leave every studio session with a plan for the next one
I always know what else I want to do in the pieces I’m working on when I show up in the studio because I make that decision in the previous session.
Show up even if its 5-10 minutes
If I want until I have big chunks of time available to me I’ll accomplish little. James Clear talks about the long term benefits of small commitments to ourselves and I stand by what he claims (check his book out called Atomic Habits). I’ve made more art by allowing myself only 15-20 minutes most days than if I had waited for that bigger chunk of time.
I don’t want you to feel that pang of frustration and jealousy when you look at someone’s work and think, “I could do that.” I want you to pull out images of your own and reply, “Great! Here’s my work, too.” Because you have listened to that calling and are taking the risks you need to make more art.
So, how can you start facing the work you are avoiding in your studio? And if this isn’t you, how have you navigated this in the past? Be sure to comment below to add to this conversation.
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Carrie, we are on the same wave-length right now! I just wrote about this exact thing on my blog! I can also recommend James Clear’s teacher, BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits free 5 day challenge to help you create habits, like showing up to your art practice! Here’s the link: https://tinyhabits.com/
I love what you say about there being pain in the unfulfilled longing as well as the pain of the messy middle. Might as well take the leap in the right direction!
Must be something in the ether out there getting us to think about this 🙂 Thanks for a great recommendation! I hope if we more concretely think about the discomfort, that we choose the pain that can actually lead somewhere else. (Myself included).
After the zoom meeting on Monday, I was looking around my art room and felt so frustrated. I have been trying to ease back into creating more artwork since I have been off for months due to surgeries. It’s been really hard! I have all of these ideas in my head, but the motivation to get started is just not there. I have done a few drawings here and there. But, I am not in fire like I was before my surgeries. Then I saw your email leading to this article. Now I don’t feel as bad! I now know that other artist go through the same thing at some point in time. But, I have created goals and committed to making time to create something everyday. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a small sketch just as long as I create something everyday.
Ola! <3 Surgery is a big deal and can throw off our lives, let alone our art schedules and goals. Getting started really can be the hardest part. I have absolutely felt that way, and still battle it at times. I don't think it will ever go away for me, but hopefully we can all find ways to show up for our art anyway! Start small. Build up to the bigger ideas. You've got this!
Ola, I had a similar experience after surgery – I was planning to get all kinds of (non-art) work done during my recovery but my brain was overtaxed by the effort to recover, to say nothing of the effects of all the pain killers!
Be gentle with yourself 💖
Ola, I think you would be surprised how many of us are experiencing exactly what you’ve articulated. It may not be surgeries. Let’s see, here are a few of mine. MS, but I’m a warrior, still it’s a struggle. Fear is a biggie too! I could go on here but … not necessarily. Suffice to say, do what you can, silence your inner critic & have fun! Take Carrie’s words of wisdom are spot on! Happy arting!
Thank you for being here Patty and sharing your experience as well as offering encouragement to others. Artist Strong is lucky to have people like you part of it!
We have so many things that pull us away from the things we want for ourselves.
I can lie and say I could make even 15 minutes and maybe that’s true, but the quality of that time wasn’t going to help. I know I would have had a negative experience on and off the canvas. So sometimes we have to respect that.
Our best bet ever is to try to align our personal interests with other things we do. So if we have kids maybe we can have arts and crafts time to spend quality time with our family and art. Or work, if we could incorporate art with work, well that’s amazing and a path to peak growth and motivation!
But generally I agree. Many of us who want art in our lives have time we can commit, even just a few minutes.
I believe in microtasks. I believe if we start doing something, our own motivations will carry us forward. Like we do on own phones or searching the TV for something to watch.
The multiple projects feels like a great idea too. But RN, for me, finishing even a simple sketch is right. Unfinished work feels like another obligation or burden.
I WANT to have longer, more complex pieces in my portfolio. I just can’t get there yet. I will. And multiple projects and microtasking are the ways to get it done.
Hi John, thanks for sharing. I recently finished a 3 foot by 3 foot colored pencil drawing by having a small daily commitment of 5 minutes. Some days I manage to show up much more, but even showing up for that 5 allowed me to make way more progress and see results for my work. Sometimes those 5 minutes feel like a waste or not much is happening, but I have a finished product as a result of those consistent efforts.
Also – when we are engaged in a focused practice, we have to build our muscle of focus to work for longer periods. Starting small is SO important here and completely overlooked despite clear research that suggests otherwise. I think our culture of “go big or go home” and big goal setting for new year’s resolutions all set us up for failure. Additionally, not all practice periods create huge gains. Sometimes we have to muddle through and have patience and faith that with time we will see strides again.
I hope you aren’t waiting for a perfect time to start that more complex work and am glad you are using strategies that support your journey. Can’t wait to see what you create.