Hi John,
Do you ever face a blank sheet of paper and wonder where to begin? 🙄
You're definitely not alone!
Artist's blocks can feel like enormous mountains that are oh-so-hard to climb.
All-that-blank-paper.
Sometimes, the problem stems from overthinking or subconsciously bending towards perfectionism.
Here’s a trick that I love when I don't know where to start:
Apply a few rules that encourage spontaneity, then follow them to get your ideas flowing.
Before you begin: Keep in mind that the goal here is not to make a masterpiece, but to get ideas on the paper, get your ideas flowing, and establish feelings of creative freedom for yourself.
★ Make 100 dots on your page. Put them anywhere. A sharpie or marker is a good tool for this step, but something else like paint drops or pencil would work too.
★ Connect the dots in some way: make shapes, a long path, a series of constellations, lines touching/not touching, etc. You choose.
★ Tear paper scraps from junk mail, tissue paper, or old book pages and glue them to the page
★ Choose one color of paint plus white, then paint various tints on the page, covering some areas, leaving areas open, you decide
I thought it might also be helpful to share that you don't need a perfect setup for art to unfold. I worked on this art journal spread alongside one of my kids who had a totally different project going on...
See where it takes you! ✨
If you try this, let me know:
- Did you find yourself skipping any steps or adding new ones?
- What insights did you gain about your instincts through this spontaneous approach?
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts or see your creations.
Liberated through artful limitations,
p.s. Last week, I shared this FREE starter deck of Art Prompt Cards to spark ideas for when we get stuck with a blank sheet of paper and have zero idea where to begin.
p.p.s. Are you interested in more content about making art for yourself or with kids? Click the button or buttons that match your interest so I can send you relevent updates and inspiration.
Hey Art Studio Members, there are exciting things happening for you in April! We're making rainbow paintings, drawing flowers, making morse code bracelets (April 27 is Samuel Morse's bday!) and more...
If you're not a TS member yet, here's how you can join:
Join TinkerLab Schoolhouse:
Transform your family's creative journey into an art adventure of self-expression and curiosity with access this all our process art tutorials and 300+ playful creative activities. Doors to TinkerLab Schoolhouse are open now, so make sure to hop over and join here.
Useful Resources
Whatever your next creative project might be, if you need some help I have tons of resources waiting for you. Pop over to the blog for creative activity ideas, there are free toolson the Creativity Resources page of my website, and find affordable classes in my shop. Follow along and see what I'm up to this week over onInstagram.
