I haven't been able to draw for the past month. It tears away at my sanity a little as I try to work through it, but it's still hard. about a month ago my girlfriend dumped me, and that along with social and burdens at school haven't been wearing well for my drawing. So I'm just curious as to how other people deal or work through artist slumps.

Personally I've just been doodling and sketching and every week or so I'll have a burst of creativity and then it dies, but again, how do other people deal with it?

Don't do drugs, they'll just intensify the problems.

Draw what you feel. Forget the storyline or whatever you feel you NEED to do and express what you WANT to. Art can be cathartic and can help ease the pain.

Switch mediums. Paint, sculpt, use legos. Whatever.

Clear your schedule. Escape your worries. Get a change of scenery. Whatever it takes. Just get out of town and go somewhere new, even if it is just for a few days or so.

Or, if you can't leave... sometimes I find it helps if you're doing something very mundane and boring, like mowing your lawn, shoveling snow, walking your dog, pruning your bushes, just something kind of repetitive that you don't have to think about. Then forget all of your future engagements and projects, and let your mind wander. Eventually you're bound to find some idea you can work a story out of. (I do this all the time when I'm doing house chores. I don't know whether it's a sort of a meditation thing, or what, but I've gotten some of my best ideas pushing that blasted lawnmower all across the yard. If necessity is the mother of invention, then I suspect that boredom is the mother of creativity.)

Above all, relax. No pressure. Whenever you're in trouble, be like Cristopher Cross: just go sailin' off on your yacht, calm winds at your tail, into the sunset of your mind.

~IJ

Ian Jay
be like Cristopher Cross: just go sailin' off on your yacht, calm winds at your tail, into the sunset of your mind.

Hahahaha! You and your damn yacht-rock!
Those films were an inspiration :!:

These guys are right, you need to disconnect from your worries or whatever you're focusing on, but not by replacing it with something else though, that's important to remember. I've tried to do that with TV, books, film and video games, and all of those just made it worse. So different things like monotonous physical activity that don't actively engage those creative parts of your brain can leave your creative muscles time to relax and come up with new things. Just like people suggest here.

Another thing that can really help is working on a project that you’re really bored with. Sometimes when you’re procrastinating you can get involved in creating things that are even better than your main project!

That or you can try something else. Get mad, get pissed. See and think, visualize everything everyone has done to get you depressed and channel that energy into anger. Get mad.

As you put your pencil to the paper, remember all of that. Slowly the depression will fade away and the anger will take over the pencil. Sometimes you can astonish yourself in the things you can accomplish while mad.

.: Myxomatosis :.

ozoneocean
These guys are right, you need to disconnect from your worries or whatever you're focusing on, but not by replacing it with something else though, that's important to remember. I've tried to do that with TV, books, film and video games, and all of those just made it worse. So different things like monotonous physical activity that don't actively engage those creative parts of your brain can leave your creative muscles time to relax and come up with new things. Just like people suggest here.

True, true. The Internet also has this effect. I'll get on the internet thinking I'll just check my e-mail while drawing my comic as a multi-task. Three hours later, I'll look up from McSweeney's* or whatever and say to myself, "Wait... I was supposed to... do something..."

Which, of course, explains why I sometimes update TEO on Mondays instead of Sundays.

~IJ

*Current Feature Article: We Are Going To Rip On Ezra Pound Some More, Okay?

oh yeah. I'm going though that myself...

I mean, I can still draw and stuff, but lately I can't just seem to bring myself to be happy with my work or something.

my current MM page is only halfway done, and that took FOREVER to do. due to me forcing myself to do it. ^^;;

I've had one of these recently I took up cross stich and went to Scotland for 2 weeks without my drawing things. That helped me but its all about what makes you feel comfortable, whether it's a complete break from any type of art or to forge on ahead. Playdough is great for stress