creative block

Overcoming Sketchbook Intimidation

Do sketchbooks intimidate you like they intimidate me?

Sketchbooks are beautiful, bound bundles of creative potential.  However, somedays, they can evoke feelings of trepidation rather than inspiration. Do you ever find yourself staring at the pristine pages, afraid to make that first mark? Do you, like me, have ambitious dreams of filling its pages with your true creative self? Then find yourself frozen when faced with the first stroke?

I have a love-hate relationship with sketchbooks. On one hand, I adore them. They represent possibility, growth, and artistic expression. Each new sketchbook feels like a fresh start, a blank canvas waiting to be transformed into a sweet little gem. But on the other hand, they terrify me. What if the first drawing is awful? What if the first drawing sets the tone for the entire book?

Sound familiar?

I can’t count the number of times I’ve bought a new sketchbook with grand intentions, only to let it gather dust on my shelf because I was too afraid to begin. The struggle is real.

But I HAVE to draw. Without it, I find that my mood slips, and grumpiness sets in. So, what do I do about it?

Some days, I muster up the courage to say “screw it” and dive in headfirst. Other days, I let the fear win, and the sketchbook remains untouched. Today was one of those days. I received a stack of sketchbooks for Christmas (seriously, the best gift idea for an artist), and yet, there they sat on my shelf, mocking me with their pristine-full-of-potential- pages.

But. I needed to draw! The urge is so powerful some days.  So, I made a choice. I set aside the new sketchbooks and reached for something familiar: plain old printer paper.

With no fear of ruining a perfect sketchbook, I folded the paper in quarters and began sketching. And you know what? It was so freeing!  There was no pressure, no expectation—just me, my pencil, and a plain old sheet of paper. I was able to draw a handful of fruit bowls that have been lingering around in my head. I even liked a lot of them! 

At some point during drawing, I  decided to document the process with a video. As soon as I pressed the record button, I felt nervous. I was nervous in the same way I am nervous about new sketchbooks. Of course the video captures some of my least favorite drawings from the day. But you know what else it captures? The satisfaction of overcoming fear, and the simple pleasure of putting pencil to paper.

I hope you enjoy this process video and the photos of all the drawings from the day. I do plan on spending more time with these drawings and developing them into something more than meer pencil sketches.

How do you all get started in new sketchbooks? Is it easy for you? How do you approach that first blank page? Please comment with any tips or tricks that you use!




OFFICE PAPER AND A BOX OF CRAYONS

I was feeling stuck and uninspired last week.  Do you all ever feel that way? What do you do about it?I kept attempting to make new stencil print paintings but they kept coming out terrible. I was getting nowhere and felt myself spiralling into a negative space, so  I decided to stop trying and do something else. I walked into the other room and saw my son’s crayons on the floor. I went to pick them up and thought to myself, why don’t I just sit and color freely like he does? Why don’t I allow myself the freedom to just play without worrying about the cost of materials. So I grabbed some cheap office paper and the box of crayons and sat outside and just colored and colored and colored.. It was so liberating not worrying about wasting expensive art supplies, and that allowed me to get into that magical flow state we all crave. The act of scribbling was fun too! I really need to remember this the next time I am feeling stuck and uninspired! Please share with me what you do when you all are stuck in a rut.

Here is a picture of a pile my crayon drawings and then the two stencil prints that were inspired by them.

THE GOOD PARTS

I save most of my doodles and sketches, even if I don't care much for them. Oftentimes I can look back at them and find some part of them that I like.  When I do, I tend to cut that part out and save it, while chucking the rest.  Here is a collection of some of the good parts I have saved over the last few months.

I like the gather a small collection and make myself a mood board and pull from the good parts of these bad paintings. This oftentimes inspires me to set out on a new painting adventure!

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