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Friday, June 19, 2015

CREATIVE BLOCK a place you don't want to be

I have to admit it now.  I have been struggling for weeks with creative block.  It is a terrible place to be.  But the reality is that at some stage, for whatever reason, some artists stumble into this place where we are frozen.  I don't even want to call myself an artist.  I can call myself a doll maker or crafter, but do crafters' get creative block?  It's not even about being creative it's about doing the thing.  So why, when I am 'in demand' with my market stall and needing to replenish stock, that I have 'lost it' ?  I have my 'studio' set up very efficiently.  I have my fabrics and lots of patterns.  But I have not been able to go into that room and start making stuff.
I thought maybe I should try a whole new tactic and maybe do art journaling.  You know, you get a blank page book and just paint, draw, paste, colour with no limits.  It seems like fun.  Could not do it.
Got the book.  Got my pens, pencils, glue and paints and did nothing. Nothing.  Could not even draw a doodle.  The fact is I have never done a journal.  I occasionally wrote in a diary when I was a teen, the usual frustrations, boys, school, friends.  Not volumes and volumes.  And as a doll maker, I would scribble a design on a piece of paper.  Work out the pieces and throw the sketching away.  I am not a sketcher.  I can't draw.  I did go to a couple of  art classes and found out I could draw a capsicum, but as for scale...............when I had to draw 3 things in the same place, they were so out of scale I gave up in embarassment.  So I just can't do that stuff.
I was a little heartened when I found Jennibellie's blog.  She is a wonderful art journaller, and she makes little videos and talks about art and life.
Please  go to visit her blog  at     jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com/
When you get to the page you will see she has a whole piece relating to creative block and the one thing you can do to address it.   I also found a video piece she did about being all right where you are.
I suspect she is going through some tough stuff too and at least she is proactive.
There is also another site I found on wiki-how   Overcome-Artist's-Block
I have also found some inspirations from author Keri Smith.  She talks about giving your work your personality here  keri smith .  She has written quite a few books and I need to make time to explore her ideas further.
She also suggests having a wish jar.  That is the next thing I will do.  Try the wish jar


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