i had been in a creative funk for months, had hardly made anything outside of college classes and a sponsored exchange where i worked on frescos. recently started getting creative again and this new work feels more original, skillful and me than anything i’ve ever made.
basically i was burned out and my anxiety was through the roof and i was forced to get creative again. i know this isn’t an option for everyone but i kind of crashed out, isolated myself and didn’t do any school for 3 weeks and started staying up til 4AM every night. building my own canvases and focusing more on process and a slim idea of what i wanted to paint than on a grandiose plan. also making an effort to find new music and getting inspired by other artists. i watched all of david lynches filmography during my crash out weeks and it did influence me in wanting to create something of my own. in the past shrooms have helped me too, but that’s not reliable because the art i make on drugs often turns out kitschy and stupid. it did work for grimes when she made visions.
moral of the story: if you want to be a productive member of society dont do this, but i feel like artists seldom are anyway
Feb 8, 2025
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Recently I went through a rough patch for a couple months where I was only filling about one page of my sketchbook every week and it felt like buns :(
However, a couple weeks ago I started hyper-fixating on Transformers and I’ve drawn so many of those stupid fucking robots I’m not even lying to you. So basically what that means is try and find something that would appeal to you and draw inspiration from that!
Expanding on the inspiration piece- for embroidery, I have a huge Pinterest board of things I’d like to put on my jackets/jeans/shirts. There’s no shame in taking inspiration!!!!
Finally, if none of these things work (and I know it’s easier said than done) literally just force yourself to do one creative thing a day. When I‘m bored at school I draw random faces and people passing by. Just by forcing yourself to get back into the habit, hopefully that will encourage your brain to return to its former creative glory.
Good luck!!!!!
Apr 18, 2025
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I, of course, can’t speak to your experiences as a creative, but personally one thing that’s opened the doors to creativity for me again (after a few hectic semesters and deadlines) was just messing everything up. Going crazy. Revisiting your old ideas that you may find ‘immature’ or ‘tasteless‘ now. Revisiting old projects that once felt so far beyond your margins of skill. Being open to forgetting everything you know, all the constraints and pressures of the professional life, and just fucking shit up. Doing something embarassing, self indulgent, whatever.
May 30, 2025
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The #1 way I’ve worked through any sort of creative rut (this happened recently) is by talking through it with my friends who also make art/write/etc. It helps me get out of my head, which is usually the root cause of the block. Also revisiting your/others’ work that inspires you (study an old painting you love, reread your diary, watch your favorite movie a few times in a row)
Feb 10, 2024
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i may have spent a sinister amount of time here today but better with you folk than in the wild west of short form video content….
May 21, 2025
they really have this whole life thing figured out
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