Hello artist friend
How are you getting on with the demons so far? We're tackling some fairly hefty stuff so don't worry if you're not finding it all plain sailing!
Even just starting to take a closer look at what you're habitually thinking, the feelings that creates and how that affects the way you show up in your life can start to shift things below the surface. So don't give up if you don't see results immediately! That's like expecting every painting to be a masterpiece. 😉
Today's demon is one that affects every single artist from time to time, and it typically sounds like:
“I feel uninspired and stuck. I've lost my mojo and everything I try feels stale and hollow.”
I have been here so. many. times. And for extra joy, it's often accompanied by its friends, ‘I’ve forgotten how to paint', ‘Everything I do is crap’, and ‘It’s gone and it's never coming back.'
Good times, right?
Thankfully, as Marie Forleo would say, ‘everything is figure-out-able’!
So the first thing to know is, this happens, it happens to all artists, it's completely normal, and you can count on it happening more in the future. I find there's comfort in that, although it may sound a bit negative at first, because it means we can start off by removing two paralysing assumptions upfront:
1. That there's something wrong with us, and
2. That there's something we can do to make sure this never happens again.
And honestly, it only feels bad because of what we're making it mean. And we're doing that using - you know how it goes by now - thoughts! Which we can change! So phew, all is not lost. 😅
So while Assumption 2 - that we can somehow make this never happen again - is unlikely to be the case, we still have power here, and it lies in building a bag of tools we can bring out whenever it does happen, so we can completely bypass the whole wringing of hands, gnashing of teeth part.
The tools of course start with our thoughts, so the first part of your mission today {should you choose to accept it - I like to remind you of your autonomy 😉 } is to ferret out all those pesky thoughts that are contributing to and perpetuating this barren wasteland of no inspiration. Get out your trusty pen and paper, and let's have a closer look!
Some good questions to ask yourself:
- What's really going on here? {This is a good one because it goes straight underneath the whining to the truths you're not admitting to yourself consciously.}
- Have I just reached a point of completion with my current/previous project? {I can tell when a painting collection is complete, even if I have more wood panels for it, because the zing drops out.}
- Am I in a transition or growth phase? {This is often the case for me; I'm simply ready for something new. But I may be defaulting to ‘no mojo’ because a part of me thinks I ‘should’ be continuing as I have been, even though the energy's dropped out of it. Stay alert to these nuances!}
- Do I actually just need a break? {Sometimes a pause is necessary; we need to literally rest, or something else in our life requires more attention.}
- Is it time to go back to inspiration gathering? {This is very likely; typically loss of inspiration means you need to fill up the well in terms of finding subjects, materials, ideas and resources to fuel the next thing you'll make. Inspiration, I find, is like a rechargeable battery; we just forget that that battery can and will run low, and that recharging it is an essential part of the process of making art.}
Regardless of your answers to those questions, a good rule of thumb {and this applies to any and every demon}, is to apply lashings of self kindness, to take a closer look at what thoughts you're allowing free rein in your brain, and to ‘go back to the drawing board’ {perhaps literally!}, and start the hunter gathering process for your next project/collection/painting/creation.
So your mission today is to:
- Answer those questions 👆
- Write out at least five kind thoughts to yourself {if you get stuck, imagine what a dear friend - or I! - would say to you, or what you would say to a dear friend}
- Double check whether you actually just need a little rest period {you're still an artist if you take a break!}
- Start recharging that battery - have a look at Pinterest {you could create a board for whatever pops out at you, even if you don't know why at first}; go for a walk and take photos of what you notice; have a browse at the library; go to a gallery; have a chat with an artist friend - just find a few fun things to explore, and start noticing what catches your eye. Gather it all together in whatever way makes most sense to you {sketches, notes, Pinterest board, actual pinboard etc}, and allow yourself some time to percolate.
If you're in the
Happy Artist Studio, come and tell us what's going on with you and show us what you're gathering!
Your mojo will return, I promise! It always, always does. And even though we can't force it, we can create the conditions so that when it returns we're ready to rock it out in the studio once again.
Got questions? Reply to this email and I'll be happy to help!
