Alyson Stanfield discussed artist slumps her newletter this week. I can certainly relate as I’ve had an on-again/off-again slump for the past few months. I’ve noticed this happens each winter, typically in February or March or both. The more I’ve become aware of it, the shorter it seems to last and the better I am at accepting it. I now refer to it as my “rebirthing” time; a time of regeneration and of gathering new ideas.
Here is what Alyson recommends to emerge from a slump.
- Wallow; it is okay to wallow a little bit. Honor your emotions.
- Plan something with a deadline to get the juices flowing.
- Get out of the studio; walk, run, go to a museum.
- Talk to other people; meet friends, visit a gallery; goes hand in hand with #3.
- Create an escape path; continue to make your art even if it isn’t great.
- Write; journal about your emotions, your dreams, whatever is inside your head.
- Read inspirational books or biographies about other artists.
- Listen to CDs or audio downloads that motivate you.
- Watch movies or documentaries to remind you of your connection to art and the art world. (Don’t watch stuff that will depress you, make you sad, angry, etc.)
- Purge and clear out stuff that you don’t need. Lots of clutter = negative energy. I’m a strong believer in this one. When I have too much clutter in the studio, my muse practically disappears. When I clear things out, the energy flow is much better.
To read more of Alyson’s recommendations visit here. To listen to her podcast on this topic, go here.
Posted by Amy C.
It is really nice to know that others go through a slump. Why did I think it was just me? A slump for me can be caused by different things, and a big cause is getting my work-space in a mess. I have come to the conclusion that beads make a huge mess very easily – note it’s the beads that make the mess, not the artist. I will find out soon because I have started to make some clay tiles………
And she thinks clay will be less messy than beads? Has she seen my studio????
It is funny how we blame our messes on inanimate objects. And it is amazing how much our messes bog down our work. Spring is a VERY difficult time for me because I get overwhelmed with what needs to be done inside AND outside. The kitchen needs cleaning, but the flower beds need weeding. It’s hard to find a balance between all of that, family stuff and time in the studio.
As for studio time… I’m in a big slump and it’s not good. I give myself deadlines, but I find myself working on other things. I actually cleaned toilets yesterday when I was scheduled to be in my studio. Why would someone procrastinate a creative process with cleaning toilets? What is wrong with me!?!?!!
I’ve gotten a couple of things made this week, but I go and pick blossoms from trees one day and go back the next and they are gone. This time of year is so fleeting and so difficult to capture because it changes every day! And all I want to do right now is anything except be in the studio. Don’t ask me what I’m afraid of… I really don’t know. Sometimes you just wish you could get out of your own way! This has been going on for almost a year with me. I’ve forced myself to work in the studio this week. I look at the pieces I have made this week and all I can think is “uninspired”. It’s been a long time since I’ve made something and stepped back and said “wow”. I know I need to change something. Maybe I’ll go schlep the clay slab outside… Hmmmm…
Deep down I have dreams of being a minimalist, of hoarding nothing, of being in surroundings that are like a blank slate for color.
But art/craft is inherently messy, as is living with cats, husband–and myself.
For me, organizing, doing laundry, and gathering trash are all ways of purging the brain clutter that seems to cloud the creative process. Cleaning/weeding/whatever allows ideas to swirl around in the background of our brains, while we keep our bodies busy by accomplishing something tangible. The feeling of being productive in another area releases our brain and let’s it chill out for awhile and come back refreshed. It’s multi-tasking, even if it doesn’t seem like it, even if it takes what seems like too much time (and a lot of multi-tasking) for the creative juices to reappear.
Try turning what you’re doing upside-down or inside out and do the opposite of what you gravitate towards… try working with the opposite of blossoms (twigs? rocks?)… a highly structured composition in place of loose… light instead of dark… fat marker instead of skinny pencil… or try a different medium to capture the essence of this very day… take a step outside, around, over, under, through the walls confining your ideas… The walls aren’t permanent 2×6 sheet rock–they’re movable like Japanese screens…
That said, I really need to stop procrastinating and come up with a design for a brochure job I got a week ago so I can get back to my own art…
I have to buy a toaster oven and pasta maker. The decision is weighing heavily and I am wasting time. I don’t want to buy cheap and have to replace it in a few months. I don’t want to buy expensive and find I don’t use them. It will probably end up being a see it, buy it decision, rather than a planned strategic decision.