Inspiration in Watercolor - What to do when you don't feel Inspired.

What do you do when you feel uninspired? Do you wait for “it” to show up? And what do you do if it never shows up?

In this week’s video, we revisit an interview I had with watercolor artist Thomas Schaller where we talk about this exact topic - what to do when you are feeling uninspired and how to prevent yourself from stalling. 

“I think about who I am and what makes me want to paint in the first place… I don't have to go out and find [inspiration]. I just have to sit down and get to work… It's the process of doing it that's inspiring. You've already got the inspiration.”

Thomas Schaller is a fantastic artist. He's a great person, and he has a lot of great insight into the creative process. For more of his creative insight, watch the rest of the video. 

When you watch, you’ll also find my 3 Tips to Transitioning into Creativity:

• Remove Obstacles. What I mean by this is do some practical things beforehand that will help you ease into the time you have for watercolor painting. Fill up your water bucket, prepare your paper, decide what it is you want to work on when you get the time. 

• Create a Transition. This can be as simple as a short walk, taking a few deep breaths, or reading for a few minutes. Just find something that helps you to slow down and create a bit of space between your busy life and your watercolor practice. 

• Immerse Yourself in Art. Take a moment, like Thomas Schaller suggests, to remember what it is about art that you love and why you want to create. Flip through some pages in an art book, admire some paintings from artists you follow online.

While I want to encourage you to push past resistance and paint even when you don’t “feel inspired,” I do want to add one caveat. I have had times in my creative life where I've kind of gone the opposite direction. I don't give myself a day off when I probably need a day off. I don't give myself a break when I probably need a break. I have this weird, irrational fear that if I’m not showing up every single day, that I am going to lose it. I had to keep proving to myself that I could paint. 

But what you don't want to do is get burned-out. For those of you who are maybe over-disciplined in this area, give yourself permission to take a break. I know this entire blog has been about how to show up when you don't feel like it, But I know there are probably artists out there, too, that need to give themselves a little bit of a breather.

For those people, you might need to take a day off or a whole week off. Take some time away  to enjoy some other mediums. Or maybe just step away and don't think about painting for a little while. Finding that balance between pushing yourself when you know you need to push yourself and letting yourself regenerate when you need a rest is also important, too.

Thank you once again for spending some time with me here today! Keep working at it. Keep coming back to your art, and keep moving forward.