Art Block - Motivation and Inspiration Boosters

Lightwarmth's Motivation / Inspiration Lecture!

Alright class, let's talk a little about what motivation and inspiration are. They are the feelings you get when suddenly you know that the time is right to produce a piece of art. Sometimes it lasts for days, other times a mere few hours. But what causes this mystical force to bless you with a creational energy?

The answer?

YOU DO.

Motivation is a choice. It is pattern based. Think about it- your body works in patterns for eating, sleeping, concentrating, everything... motivation and inspiration are no different. By subscribing to the mystical concept of inspiration, you are simply feeding your body a non productive pattern. So, you ask, how do you change that? How can I give myself inspiration all the time?

The keyword here is hard work. You must teach your body that you want to produce every day, when YOU want it. This means drawing/writing every day even if it's shit, for a period of time. Eventually, and take my word for it, you'll start having less "blocks". Your body knows the pattern you've given it, that you want to work everyday, rather than the previous pattern of randominity and every once and a while.

To summarise: You choose to be inspired or motivated. Of course there are stumbling blocks, but the only way to get out of them is either waiting (bad for your pattern, as previously mentioned!) or keeping working till something good comes out. Good luck! It's a long process but in the end quite rewarding!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

For sure. I wasn't meaning at all to FORCE it, I simply mean that sometimes you HAVE to work no matter what. Sometimes you simply have to keep going if it's crappy and eventually you get the right idea. Switching mediums and doing something else are awesome ways to "get inspired" again, you're right.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by agreatguy6

The problem with that is just that: even if what you're churning out (since you're supposed to do that) is shit, it's still shit. No one wants to read that.

Well, at least you're producing something. You're then already above 90% of writers/artists who dream of doing something. You're doing it.And if you KNOW it's shit you can change that. And produce enough shit and you'll do something amazing.

It's like photography. No matter how well you set up the shot, many pictures have to be taken because for some reason there'll be one small minute thing that sets one apart and makes it worth keeping.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.