I'm interested! I've been stuck in a rut of over thinking things, and under doing them. I'd love to see what kind of insight you'd have on this sort of thing. :3

Ah, I think that's a common one! You are not alone, if that makes you feel any better!

If I may ask, do you spend any time drawing or doodling "just for fun" with no worry about how it turns out? If not, give it a try sometime-- give yourself permission to do something imperfect. You may surprise yourself!

I always start off with that intent, and I get decently far (I don't sketch on paper much, but I do quick sculpts in my modelling program) then I start over thinking things, and eventually get frustrated when I can't seem to achieve what I'm thinking of.

Hmm. I think I understand what you mean.

In my experience it is easy to have these grand ideas that are still fairly vague in our minds. For example I'm learning graphic design right now, and I want to do stuff thats as good as some of my design heros, but that's still my own. I want to be amazing, with revolutionary ideas and designs! But then I make something, and what I see is very disappointing in comparison. =C

So then I offer two suggestions, for both of us.
1- try to get more clear on the direction you are trying to take the work. If you get a decent start, and then decide, 'I want this to have a more interesting texture', for example, find someone who does a texture the way you want to be able to do it, and see how you might apply the way they do it to your own work. You'll learn faster without having to completely reinvent the wheel, and there's no shame in learning from other artists.
2- give yourself permission to be 'a beginner.' I think that's the secret to being a master, anyway, is always being a beginner. You can google "beginner's mind" for some great articles to read over. It is so easy to get caught up in all the stuff we haven't learned yet, but being able to see that you need to learn something means you've already started to learn it! You don't criticize a baby for not being able to walk yet, either, you give it praise and encouragement for every wobbly step it takes. There's a lesson there. =3

Let me know if that helps!

It's amazing how much of my own self I saw in that second paragraph, hahaha.

I will take your suggestions to heart, and try to apply them to my work. I have been trying way too hard to be an expert at things when I'm still only a little ways into all this stuff. I'll try and sit myself back and allow myself a little breathing room to let things flow more naturally.

Thank you and I'd still like to see your articles once they are finished. :3

I believe writer's/artists' block is only your standards for yourself increasing, and don't think the topic warrants much beyond telling someone to "work for their creativity." But I can see these little subcategories you listed as very beneficial! I'm especially interested in where "The benefits of working fast" will go.

I think there are many factors that can play into artists block, and you are right that your own standards increasing tends to have a lot to do with it. I also think that artists tend to be very hard on themselves, and that becomes very counterproductive to doing more work. Think of a scenario where someone needs to do some art they owe for someone, but they don't work on it for a while, and so they berate themselves about it. Are they more or less likely to then do the work?

I think the berating is the default approach for most artists, and I think that unraveling the misconception that it is effective will ultimately make more artists more productive.

The benefits of working fast tie in a bit. Primarily from my experience, it forces you to let go of some perfectionism, which is a huge enemy to art in general. I won't argue that it doesn't have its place, but that place might be best suited to the polish at the very end of a piece of art, and perhaps to pockets of check-ins along the way to ensure a piece is moving in the right direction. But it should never really be a guiding force at the beginning, in particular. This is definitely something I struggle with always, and the more I learn to let go of the perfection, the more I find myself free to actually enjoy the process of making the art.

When it came to working in speed, I assumed you were going to mention getting a technique/workflow downpat. That was a huge change in the confidence in my art… before I felt like I was a gimmick trying to hide from everyone, of course. :P

Ah I see. Yes thats a paradigm I've noticed too. I feel like I would call it mastery of chosen media or something like that, rather than emphasis on speed. They definitely interrelate, though.

I think there are many factors that can play into artists block, and you are right that your own standards increasing tends to have a lot to do with it. I also think that artists tend to be very hard on themselves, and that becomes very counterproductive to doing more work. Think of a scenario where someone needs to do some art they owe for someone, but they don't work on it for a while, and so they berate themselves about it. Are they more or less likely to then do the work?

I think the berating is the default approach for most artists, and I think that unraveling the misconception that it is effective will ultimately make more artists more productive.

The benefits of working fast tie in a bit. Primarily from my experience, it forces you to let go of some perfectionism, which is a huge enemy to art in general. I won't argue that it doesn't have its place, but that place might be best suited to the polish at the very end of a piece of art, and perhaps to pockets of check-ins along the way to ensure a piece is moving in the right direction. But it should never really be a guiding force at the beginning, in particular. This is definitely something I struggle with always, and the more I learn to let go of the perfection, the more I find myself free to actually enjoy the process of making the art.

Working rapidly and at greater quantity results in more honest and interesting work than perfection alone ever could.

Must keep this in mind goddamn it. I never run out of ideas but I always run out of nerve to make the art. Ughhh....

Sure I'm interested. Sounds like a great idea :)

Do you have a way to record those ideas? A sketchbook with very quick rough sketches can allow you to get the ideas into a form where you dont have to try holding them all in your head at once, and it can be a great resource for when you want to work on a more developed piece, so you don't have to begin completely from scratch.

That's just what came to mind when I read your response- I hope it helps!

Not a bad idea. Now if only I could kick my perfectionism in the face hard enough so that I didnt feel the need to draw the perfect piece right away and do it later.

I'll have to grab some of my smaller sketchbooks and take them with me when I go out. Should help me keep track o my thoughts.

I would be very interested in reading these!

Oh cool! I hope I can focus myself long enough to write them! Having personalized discussions with people Helps me figure out what needs to be said, though. Is there anything I can help you with?

Aw, sure! I think that maybe a discussion on how to stay motivated or inspired would be beneficial. I think that is my biggest problem regarding art blocks.

Sometimes when i am in a rut I go out and do something i dont normally do, even if i am uncomfortable doing it, it helps me clear my head and then i can come back to the project, It would have to be something that calls for full attention, not just taking out the trash or anything, like I would go walk around the flea market for a few hours, or clean the house in detail from top to bottom, or visit my dad and get tied into babysitting while he runs off to do frisbee golf. >.>

That's a fantastic way of handling it! I actually have gotten similar advice from both design teachers and my english teacher this quarter. Actively try to get the rough draft of the work done early enough that you can take a break and walk away from it for a couple hours or a couple days if possible, before finishing it up. Gives you a 'fresh eye'

And for me it works every single time! X3

It absolutely seems interesting! And I agree with your last bit whole-heartedly. After a block that persisted for almost a year, I started the monster (gender) October challenge and have been happily drawing every day X3 I want to be able to keep it up year-round, because I've already made improvements.

However; I am not familiar with your clean account and would like to be.

Hi; I am interested.