How patience, deep curiosity, and falling back in love with the process are 3 steps to break out of your creative blocks and find your spark of inspiration again.

I’ll be honest with you when I tell you I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired and not at all confident when it comes to creating artwork lately. Actually, to be more specific, I’ve been becoming more aware of these feelings and have started actively working my way out of them lately.

And what I’ve discovered, both from observing other artists and creators along with exploring my own inner creative world, is that there are a few key things I’ve been missing, which has left my creative process feeling intimidating and rushed and not at all fun. Hence, the creative blocks.

If you’ve been feeling this way too, I want to share 3 of those keys to unlocking your spark of inspiration once again so you can get back to the excitement of making things instead of staying stuck in your creative anxiety.

Patience, deep curiosity, and loving the process most ardently (because I can’t resist a good Jane Austen reference).

Becoming Inspired Again

I was watching some vlogs by the artist Caro Arevalo today, and I am just so in awe of her immense patience with the process of creating and her unwavering attention to detail. Not only with the paintings themselves but with the subjects of her art.

I feel like with social media and the speed and vast capabilities technology gives us when it comes to creating, it can feel nerve-racking to slow down and just settle in the details of your work. I don’t know about you, but for me it can feel like there’s so much pressure to be constantly pumping out new things. Not to mention the trap of comparison and the need to “keep up”.

But the thing about art is that it’s not really about “keeping up”. I mean yes, it can be at times. Sometimes you do need to actually make things that will be seen and liked by some in order to make a buck if you’re making a living off your art. But we have to remember that we are not machines, built to always be pumping out products.

Also, so many amazing works of art weren’t really seen or liked in their time - and yet they become timeless. Or perhaps they were always timeless.

And that’s not to say that trendy art is less of an art, or that quick digital pieces don’t add value to the art world. Any form of art adds value to the world. And if making quick and simplistic art is what inspires you, then that’s what you should make!

What I am saying is that if the pressure to keep up and constantly pump out works of art blocks your creativity, as it has been for me, then maybe the solution is to find your way back to patience and slow creating. Losing yourself in the details, the story, or the subject of your art. Dedicating yourself and your love to the process once more.

Pay attention to the things that give you quick pops of inspiration or joy or curiosity and then dive in completely. And when you do, that quick pop of inspiration becomes a deep well of enthusiasm and knowledge and intimacy with your subject.

For example, Cara has been creating artwork inspired by mushrooms and fungi. Noteably, mushrooms are actually a trending topic in the art world, so this just goes to show that trends can still be worthy of your attention!

But Cara dove fully into the world of fungi to create her artwork - studying books, foraging for mushrooms, growing her own, and even observing microscopic samples of fungi.

This is so inspiring to me, because it’s a reminder of the joy and fulfillment from slow creativity - of fully immersing yourself in a topic of interest.

For me especially, the idea of hyper-focusing on one source of inspiration is so enticing because I tend to get overwhelmed by all my ideas and other works that inspire me along with the endless stimuli of the world around me. I often exhaust myself just trying to decide what to work on on any given day, and then i end up giving up in frustration and make nothing at all.

So surrendering to the process and the patience of it all can feel like a big sigh of relief, to be honest.

Let it be long.

Let it consume your attention and your curiosity.

Don’t get swept up in producing an end result quickly or to keep up with the world around you. Be present within your own existence; within the process of creating.

If you can do that, I truly believe you will find the spark of inspiration you’ve been looking for.

Are we Instagram friends yet?