No Motivation To Paint? Here’s 9 Ways To Fix It Fast
It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner artist or a pro, at some point in time, you’re going to experience that feeling of having no motivation to paint. It’s quite common in fact!
And let me just say, this is one of the most disappointing slumps an artist can be in but the good news is that there are a few smart ways to revive your passion for art again.
When I first began learning to paint, one of the main reasons why I felt so demotivated to keep painting is because I wasn’t so great at it but there were many wins and aha moments that made me feel more confident.
So, if you’re feeling down or frustrated at yourself for even feeling no motivation to paint, here are a few solutions and useful tips to get motivated to paint again!
Tips To Overcome and Stay Motivated
Why Do You Paint? Remind Yourself
Like everything, these moments of no motivation to paint will pass, and soon enough, you’re going to have to dig deep and really stop for a moment and remember why you began painting.
So, the very first thing you need to do when the painting slump hits is to remind yourself of the reasons why you paint.
Perhaps you simply needed to pick up a new hobby, relieve some stress and tension from daily woes, discover your hidden talents.
Whichever reason it may be, there has to be something that made start painting, one of the main things that make you continue to paint is that you actually enjoy the process of doing so.
Paint a Background
One of the best ways to fight resistance is action and I’m sure you’ve heard of this many times before because it actually works incredibly well.
Sometimes, we tend to overthink everything and negative thoughts may pop up in your head before you start a new painting.
You might have heard these common sentences running through your mind:
‘You don’t have those skills yet’
‘It’s not going to turn out that good, what’s the point?’
‘You could always do it some other time’
All of these thoughts are just pure nonsense. We like to talk ourselves from doing something because we’re afraid of the outcome.
My best advice to defeat resistance is to just jump right in. If there’s a painting you’re been prolonging or procrastinate, why not start by painting a simple background?
It doesn’t need to be fancy and all you could do is just paint the canvas in a color but the simple act of doing so will make you wonder why you felt demotivated in the first place?
Start With A Ten Minute Painting
Besides painting a simple background, you could set a timer for ten minutes, remove distractions, grab your playlist if you like to work while listening to music, and start painting something for ten minutes.
It could be just putting color on a page or sketching out your painting.
Once you enter that flow, you’ll find it much easier to keep going and before you know it, you’re excited and refreshed once again.
Create A Painting Schedule
A fantastic way to avoid feeling demotivated to paint is to keep yourself accountable and you can easily do this by developing creative habits.
We are creatures of habits and we need these in place so that we are always growing rather than staying stagnant.
If you can successfully incorporate painting in a weekly or even daily painting routine, you’ll find it hard to give yourself that opportunity to resist.
It also makes it hard to dwell on the negatives since you’re already on to the next one.
By creating a weekly painting routine at a specific time or place, you’re basically telling yourself this is something that you’re going to do anyway.
Look For Inspiration
Many times I would feel demotivated is when I’m painting similar things in a certain style but taking a walk outside or looking at pictures online of places and things can help spark that creative juice.
When you start seeing potential subjects, your mind starts working and it makes you want to paint again.
Another great way to feel motivated again is by looking at other artist’s works. By seeing things that they have created, may inspire you to try new things.
Also, do branch out and take a look at artists who use a different medium from you. For instance, if you’re an acrylic artist, it would be a good idea to take a look at those who paint with gouache, oils, or even watercolors.
Sometimes, art produced in a different medium will help you see things through a different light and broaden your few from the way you know the world to be.
Keep Learning New Things
Another factor that may come into play is not experimenting with other mediums outside of what you are used to.
It can become boring if you do not keep challenging yourself to learn new techniques, especially if you’ve only been using one medium for years.
By trying new materials, it can help you understand the way things work and incorporate new painting techniques using the medium you’re already familiar with.
You’ll definitely start to notice a huge change in your current art style.
This way, it will keep things fresh and exciting so you always have something new to try if you approach it with a positive attitude.
Also, remember that every artist’s journey is different and it may take your longer or quicker to pick up things than others do.
Maybe you’re disappointed by how your art is turning out and that it’s not as good as the others? Forget about everyone else and continue practicing and learning.
Eventually, with more time and skills, you’ll hit it right.
Allow this thought to motivate you to keep learning and keep trying.
Share Your Artwork With Supportive Communities
Sometimes we get caught up in our own heads (okay, this happens quite often) and we may believe that something looks horrible when another person might find the beauty in it.
Just a few kind words from others may help encourage you to keep painting even when you don’t feel like it because they see the beauty in what you do.
Join a few Facebook groups that share they’re art and be active in sharing kind and supportive words of other artist’s work and they will do the same.
You’ll also realize that there are many others out there who are experiencing the same troubles as you and this will help you feel less alone.
Don’t Focus On The Outcome
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when starting any new painting and one that will keep you from painting , that constant slump of feeling no motivation to paint, is when you already start focusing on the outcome of how you think the painting will turn out or won’t.
It’s good to have an overall idea of how you’d want the final piece to look but if you simply focus all your energy on this, you’ll never feel motivated to paint it.
The whole point of the painting is to take it one step at a time and go with the process of painting.
If you’ve noticed, as we paint, we can’t help but make changes to improve the way the painting looks and this is a good thing. It gives you that opportunity to explore various angles before the finished piece.
When you focus on the process of doing something and not the end result, you’ll find motivation skyrocketing.
At the end of the day, it’s not how a painting turns out but rather how enjoyable painting that piece was for you.
If you’re not painting for monetary purposes (even if you do) the experience of that painting will show through your work and that’s what the view will appreciate.
Be Proud of Your Work (Hang Your Artwork Up!)
Lastly, to keep that running motivation, you’ll want to appreciate what you do. The only person who can stop you from doing something you enjoy is yourself.
If you allow yourself to get easily demotivated, you’re never going to get far. This is a hard pill to swallow but you must.
Learn to appreciate the artwork that you create and never compare it against another. At the end of the day, you’re turning a blank canvas into something glorious.
That’s a celebration on its own.
Don’t feel shy to hang up your artwork anywhere in your home and be proud of what you create.
These previous paintings will be a useful reminder of the fantastic wins you had before. This will be motivation in itself.
