What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up as an Artist

Honestly, every artist I know encounters moments of doubt and frustration. The creative journey is filled with highs and lows, and it’s natural to feel like giving up at times. So pay attention, but don’t take it too seriously. It’s really frustrating to feel like you’re running on empty creatively, but my experience with this subject has taught me that these challenging periods can also be opportunities for growth and renewal. Here are some strategies to help you navigate through these tough times and reignite your passion for art.

1. Take a Break

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is step away from your work. Give yourself permission to take a break and recharge. Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, whether it’s spending time in nature, reading a book, or simply resting. A fresh perspective can do wonders for your creativity.

2. Reflect on Your Journey

Take some time to reflect on why you started creating art in the first place. What inspired you to pick up that brush or pencil? Reconnecting with your initial passion and purpose can help reignite your motivation. Look back at your past works and appreciate how far you’ve come.

3. Connect with Other Artists

Talking to fellow artists can be incredibly uplifting. Join art communities, attend workshops, or participate in online forums. Sharing your struggles and successes with others who understand can provide support and encouragement. You might even find new collaborators or mentors.

4. Experiment and Play

Allow yourself to experiment without the pressure of creating a masterpiece. Try new techniques, mediums, or subjects. Embrace the process of play and exploration. This can help you rediscover the joy of creating and break free from creative blocks.

5. Set Small Goals

Break down your artistic goals into smaller, manageable tasks. Achieving these smaller milestones can give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated. Celebrate each step forward, no matter how small.

6. Practice Self-Compassion

Be kind to yourself. Understand that every artist goes through difficult phases. It’s okay to feel frustrated or uninspired. Acknowledge your feelings without judgment and remind yourself that this is just a part of the creative journey.

7. Revisit Your Creative Space

Sometimes, a change in your environment can make a big difference. Reorganize your studio, add some new decorations, or create a comfortable corner for relaxation. A fresh, inspiring space can help you feel more motivated to create.

I hope this helps. Really, feeling like giving up from time to time does not mean you’re an artist poser. It means you’re human. The thing about creative exhaustion is that it’s temporary. By taking breaks, seeking inspiration, connecting with others, experimenting, setting small goals, practicing self-compassion, and revisiting your creative space, you can overcome these challenges and continue to grow as an artist. Keep pushing forward, and remember that your unique voice and vision are worth sharing with the world.

How to find Inspiration for your art

Finding inspiration for your art can sometimes be challenging, but there are many ways to rekindle your creativity and keep the ideas flowing. Here are some strategies to help you discover your artistic muse. I don’t know if they’ll work for you, but they definitely help me when I feel “stuck”.

1. Immerse Yourself in Nature

Nature is an endless source of inspiration. Take a stroll in the park, hike a scenic trail, or relax in your garden. Observe the colors, shapes, and patterns around you. The serenity of nature can help clear your mind and spark new ideas.

2. Visit Art Exhibitions

Seeing the work of other artists can be incredibly motivating. Visit local galleries and museums to explore a variety of styles and mediums. Notice what resonates with you and think about how you can incorporate similar elements into your own creations.

3. Join Art Communities

Engage with online art communities or local art groups. Sharing your work and seeing what others are creating can provide fresh perspectives and ideas. Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and DeviantArt are great places to connect with fellow artists and find inspiration.

4. Maintain an Idea Journal

Keep a sketchbook or journal with you at all times. Jot down ideas, doodles, and thoughts as they come to you. This habit can help you capture fleeting moments of inspiration that you might otherwise forget.

5. Experiment with New Mediums

Trying out new materials and techniques can open up new avenues for creativity. If you usually paint, try sculpting or digital art. Experimenting with different mediums can help you break out of a creative rut and discover new passions.

6. Find Beauty in the Everyday

Look for inspiration in the mundane. Everyday objects, people, and scenes can be transformed into compelling art. Pay attention to the details of your daily life and consider how they can be reimagined in your artwork.

7. Take Breaks and Reflect

Sometimes, stepping away from your work can be the best way to find inspiration. Take breaks, meditate, or engage in other hobbies. Giving your mind a rest can lead to unexpected bursts of creativity when you return to your art.

These are my “go to” strategies for finding inspiration. What works for you?

The Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received as an Artist

Every artist’s journey is filled with moments of inspiration, growth, and, unfortunately, some misguided advice. Reflecting on my own path, one piece of advice stands out as particularly detrimental: “Stick to one style and never change.”

At first glance, this advice might seem practical. Consistency can indeed help build a recognizable brand. However, for an artist, this can be incredibly stifling. Art is about exploration, experimentation, and evolution. Being confined to a single style can hinder creative growth and limit the potential to discover new techniques and perspectives.

“Embrace change, experiment boldly, and let your art evolve naturally…”

When I first started, I was eager to find my unique voice. I experimented with various mediums, styles, and subjects. However, after receiving this advice, I felt pressured to conform to a single style that was gaining some attention. I spent months creating similar pieces, but over time, I felt my passion waning. My work became repetitive, and I lost the joy of creation. It wasn’t until I decided to break free from this constraint that I truly began to flourish. I allowed myself to explore different styles again, blending elements from various influences. This not only reignited my passion but also led to a more authentic and dynamic body of work. My audience appreciated the diversity and evolution in my art, and I felt more fulfilled as an artist.

The lesson here is clear: while consistency has its place, it should never come at the cost of your creative freedom. Embrace change, experiment boldly, and let your art evolve naturally. The worst advice I ever received taught me the importance of staying true to my creative instincts and the value of artistic growth. So, to all the artists out there, remember: your journey is uniquely yours. Don’t let anyone box you into a single style. Explore, evolve, and most importantly, enjoy the process. Your art will be richer for it.

Question 12: "What do you do when you have a mental block?"

“In the Heart of the Woods”

This question definitely falls into the category of “Last but not Least”: “What do you do when you have a mental block?”. This is such a difficult question to answer, and THAT may baffle non artists. I’ve never heard of a doctor or a car mechanic or an attorney or an insurance salesperson say “I just have no idea where to start. My head isn’t in this at all.” Maybe they say that. Maybe I’m making a huge assumption based on ignorance. I just know that when it comes to creating…creating something out of nothing, it requires inspiration. It really does. Whether that’s writing a song that has never been sung, or writing a poem that’s never been spoken or painting a painting that’s never been seen…creating from nothing requires an almost “spiritual” energy.

If that is an accurate way of looking at it, then because I am not God (the source of unlimited spiritual energy), I have only a bit here and there. I am a rechargeable “AA” battery, and not a cold fusion reactor. And so, a creative person absolutely needs to recharge their AA battery or nothing will happen creatively at all.

So my answer to the question of what to do when I have a “mental block” is a very person answer. I have my own answer, but if YOU were asking me this question, rather than telling you my own answer, I would first have to ask you a question. My question would be “What is ‘life-giving’ to you? What recharges you?” Maybe it’s cooking. Maybe it’s hanging out with friends, or hiking, or traveling, or reading, or singing in the shower, or finger-painting or taking a long drive. Do that. Do whatever recharges your own AA battery. My answer is MY answer and I'm fine sharing MY answer when specifically asked, but I don’t think this is the place to do that. See, your answer to a truly “spiritual question” is also a very deeply “personal answer”. Your answer is as custom fit to you as mine is to me. So I make it a rule of thumb not to give my own answer unless I’m actually asked for it.

The point though is, if you are creative and you have a mental block, you need to figure out how you’re put together so to speak. What is akin to “inhaling”? If you exhale (create), you HAVE to inhale to keep the whole process going. This is very, very difficult in our modern western society, because time does not allow for “luxuries” like taking a walk or savoring a slow, quiet afternoon, or turning the lights out and listening to a Brahms Symphony. The way we look at these “luxuries” is all wrong though. We are humans, not robots. We require real, spiritual input to create beauty. That input is not a luxury. That is real. That is life. And that is deeply, deeply human.

Question 9: "How do you manage the business side of your art business?"

When someone uses their artistic talent as a hobby or for therapy, that is a beautiful thing. Making art is just really good for you. But when art is a hobby, you don’t have to worry at all about the whole business side of it. In fact, just the suggestion of discussing the “business side” of an art career will get a lot of cow-eyed stares from artists. “But I just want to paint and sell my paintings. That’s it. That’s all I want to do”.

“But I just want to paint…”

Okay, brilliant. However, it’s time for that hard talk. Attending to the business side of an art career is like a track and field athlete investing into top notch running shoes. Yes, you can run barefoot but you can go a lot farther with the proper tools (shoes in this case). Without serious thought regarding the business side of an art career, that art career won’t last long. You have to get answers to some very basic questions and then decide which answers will lead to wise practices. Here are some questions I would suggest a “would be professional artist” ask a full time professional artist regarding the business of running an art career:

• Where do you have your art supplies?

• How do you keep track of inventory so you always have what you need?

• How do you keep track of sales tax?

• Do you accept credit cards? What’s involved with that?

Let’s handle these questions one at a time. Regarding art supplies…

Gathering art supplies for your particular craft can take a lot of time and expense. I’m a painter, so my advice won’t be worth much to a ceramic artist or wood sculpture. But if you’re a painter, yes, you can go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby, but don’t go before checking for coupons. Always keep your eye out for a sale. Sign up on art suppliers websites and get all those irritating emails that end up in your promotional email folder. But then LOOK AT THEM and use all the coupons you can. You can save big with coupons. As far as websites on line, my favorites and Cheap Joe’s and Jerry’s Artarama, but there are lots of them.

Regarding inventory…we check once a week on our stock. What I don’t want to happen is to run out of something and then have to WAIT to get more back in stock. Some things I order come from California so I could be waiting several days. For all the main things I use, I always have a duplicate in my studio. When I am done with one paint brush and toss it, I have another just like it and A) begin using it and then immediately (B) order another so I always, always have the next one waiting for me. Think ahead.

Regarding keeping track of sales, we use Quickbooks. And by “we”, I mean my wife Joy uses Quickbooks. We’d be in jail by now if my financial status depended on my math skills. Quickbooks is great because each quarter when it’s time to do sales tax, we just give the files to our accountant and BAM! They do their accounting magic and then tell us what we owe the state of North Carolina.

And lastly, regarding accepting credit cards…Absolutely yes. Hardly anyone uses checks anymore, so I try to make selling artwork as easy as I can for a potential client. There are many, many options for you when you want to enable your clients to use a credit card for a sale. Right now, we use Card Point, but you can use Square and many other credit card readers. Just do some research and ask questions at your favorite stores. Questions like, “How do you like using Square?” or “What credit card software do you use, and how do you like it?” You can also just go the easy route and use PayPal. You can log onto PayPal, write up an invoice, email it to your client and then they pay you all on line through PayPal. That works when you’re making a sale and can your your computer (even if you don’t have a credit card reader) but if you’re selling to someone on the spot, you’d want Square or an alternative.

Sometimes, important things to know are boring. Sorry. This is all info you need to think about though if you want to run full speed into the world of being a full time artist. Good luck!

Question 8: "Do you advertise?"

In my blog list of twelve questions I would suggest an aspiring full time artist ask an already full time artist, we have come to the question of advertising…”Do you advertise? If so, what seems to have worked well for you and what hasn't? What percent of your budget goes to advertising?”

The issue of an artist advertising is so tricky. Here is why…The only way you’ll sell your work is for people to see it, right? How will “Joe Public” see your work and then (maybe) buy your painting? Maybe he’ll scroll through Popular Mechanics magazine and see your ad, and voila! A big sale. Well that was easy.

Except it doesn’t work that way. How many people looking through Popular Mechanics are interested in the latest mechanical gizmos AND maybe fine art. I’m not saying those people aren’t out there, I’m just suggesting that you have to determine who your clients are out there (your demographic) and figure out how to reach them.

“Who is your demographic?”

When I was brand new to the professional artist career, I advertised in local art magazines. It cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars and here’s the thing…No one EVER came into my studio and said, “Oh, I saw your ad in ______ magazine and I just HAD to come and see your artwork for myself.” That literally never happened and SO, I never ever had any clue at all whether or not my career was positively affected by advertising. All I can say is that I’m selling more artwork now (I basically don’t advertise now) than I was back in the day when I felt like my career might crumble if I didn’t advertise.

Ahhhh, so the sage advice is this: DON’T ADVERTISE, right? Wrong. See, because I am part of a collective of hundreds of artists in Asheville, we (as a group) advertise in local magazines around the country in locations where a lot of Asheville tourists are coming from. My dues to the River Arts District Artists goes to help fund that advertising. So the advertising I’m doing doesn’t just affect me, it affects the district. But if people who visit Asheville want to make sure they check out the River Arts District, then I stand to benefit. I do have a listing on an Asheville tourism website (RomanticAsheville.com) but that’s it.

So it’s not that I’m such an awesome artist that I don’t have to advertise. I happen to be a part of an awesome group of artists in an awesome tourist oriented town and WE do the advertising together. That’s one of the very biggest perks of being an artist here, but I would think that same model could be adopted anywhere artists are. If you live in Cincinnati, find the other artists around you and advertise together. It works for us here in Asheville, and although we like to think we are so unique, I doubt that’s the case. We’re just running with a good idea and that same idea could work anywhere I’d think.

The other thing I would totally stay away from is the seemingly kind offers you get from people to display your work in their office space or restaurant. Here’s how that usually goes: “Hey, I have a great opportunity for you Steve! I’m opening a brand new upscale Italian restaurant in town and we would LOVE to display your work there on our walls, free of cost to you, and you can put price tags on all your work so you can sell your work from the restaurant. Think of the exposure!”

Don’t do it.

My experience with this is that if your artwork is simply decor on the wall of a restaurant, coffee shop, dentists office or office space, people don’t notice it at all. Look, when you go out to eat, have you ever asked the waiter, “Hey, I really love this potted ficus you have over here. How much is it??” You have never asked that question, have you? Be honest. No, of course not. You probably didn’t even notice the ficus in the corner because…you were there to eat food. Plain and simple. This way to “get your work out there” is a really nice way to give the restaurant owner free decor for their walls. Suggest he BUY the artwork from you and see what he says. Or tell the owner that you have a cousin who is getting married next month and you would like to suggest that he (the restaurant owner) cater it for free. “I mean, we can put your cards around on all the tables so everyone will know where that amazing food came from! Think of the exposure you’d get!”

That doesn’t work for any other profession, don’t let it happen to you.

Concluding this post, it might be good to remind you that I’d encourage any questions relating to whether to advertise and how/where to do it. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll help you find someone who does.

Question 5: "Would you mind critiquing my work at some point?"

Of all the questions I would suggest an aspiring artist ask a professional artist, this is probably the most important and the most risky. Don’t get me wrong, a professional artist probably wouldn’t mind at all offering advice, but unless you are really humbly asking for honest advice, all you’ll most likely get is “Oh, now that’s really nice. Very nice”.

Nice.

“Nice” does not help. You need someone to really critique it. Okay, it’s nice but…how can it be improved? This kind of advice is difficult to give someone if they don’t really seem like they’re open to suggestions and when that’s the case, it makes me really sad. I’m sad, not because my opinion isn’t valued but because they are not going to improve as an artist unless they listen to critique. I’ve been doing art all my life but still, nearly every painting goes through the gauntlet of my wife Joys’ critique. Often, I’ll really like something I’m working on and when I ask her what she thinks, (what I’m really asking is “how much do you absolutely love this?”) and she looks at it and says, “it doesn’t grab me”.

Instant deflation. And that’s a very good thing.

Then, as she tells me what she sees, and IF I’m listening, I begin to comprehend how what I perceive as perfection can even be made better, and THAT is a very good thing. When I listen to criticism, my work is much more likely to sell faster, and since this is my job, I want to sell me artwork as quickly as possible.

“how much do you absolutely love this?”

The unfortunate thing I’ve found is that many artists never think of asking for critique. I always interpret that not as “they’re too good for critique” or “they don’t care what people think of their work”, but clearly as “I’m too fragile to be criticized”, and this means that they care way TOO much about what other people think of their work. So my advice is to ask for criticism and to listen humbly. Your personhood, your right to breath this air is not what is in question. Nothing is at stake except this painting, and you want to make is as close to perfection as possible, right? So get help. Because no one individual has the corner on perfection, it can already be assumed an artist will make mistakes and will need advice. We’re just like everyone else. I hope I’m making this clear. If we use our talents and abilities to prop up our self image, then we’re USING those abilities as a means to an end, rather than simply enjoying those abilities as an end in and of themselves.

So risk it all. Take a deep breath and just ask. “What do you honestly think of this?”

Question 4: "Would you recommend art school, and if so, how would you find the right one?"

Question 4 is obviously connected to question 3. I would suggest following up on question three (“Did you go to art school?”) with this one because it may well be an artist would or would not recommend art school. That statement may sound bizarre to some people. I mean, if you want to become a lawyer, you go to law school; if you want to become a doctor, you go to medical school. So…if you want to become an artist, you go to art school. Yes?

Maybe.

The creation of artwork is a craft. A good art school can be really helpful. I went to art school and had a blast. But upon graduation, while I could paint, I had absolutely no idea how to get a job as an artist. Art school, as I explained in my answer to Question 3, taught me the rules of art, however, I had already learned many of those rules in the private art classes I took. Look, back in the day, if you wanted to be an artist, you found an artist and asked to be apprenticed by him (or her). That’s how it worked. That would probably still be the very best way of learning the craft, but at least here in America in the 21st century, we value our own individuality and privacy too much for this to work I think. But however impractical and improbable to find, this (asking to be apprenticed by an artist) would be exactly what I would recommend as the very best way to learn to paint (or sculpt, or whatever).

Short of apprenticing, a good art school is a great option. But if I were looking for the right art school, I would get a really good portfolio of work together and apply for as many scholarships as possible. Honestly, I want to spit expletives and pull every last hair out of my head when I hear some art student graduated with a painting major and is now 100K in debt and six months later is waiting tables at TGI Fridays. That…happens…often. I also know people that got full scholarships. Yes, that also happens. Go that route.

The other option though would be to get another degree that might be helpful propelling you as an artist (like a degree in marketing, business, computer illustration, etc.) that would give you skills for an actual job upon graduation. At the same time, either minor in art, or enroll in private art classes. This route gives you two things: 1) a marketable career that can support you while you inch your way into the art career you actually want (being a professional artist) and 2) continued art training. Do NOT just relegate art to a hobby. Keep it always as the goal. It took me decades to be able to reach the goal of being a full time artist, and I WENT to an art school and graduated with honors. But like I said, what I was NOT taught was HOW TO START an art career.

So learning new techniques, getting used to having your work critiqued (very important), being challenged and stretched as an artist…a good art school can do that. But there are a few other options that can do exactly the same thing. Be open to options.

Question 3: "Did you go to art school? If so, where?"

“La Mer”

It has honestly surprised me how many people have asked me over the years if I’ve gone to art school or if I’m self taught. That question kind of makes me laugh because even artists that go to art school are self taught. If they’re any artist at all, they will spend the rest of their lives teaching themselves as they try new techniques and tackle new challenges. Just this last week, I ripped the canvases off of two good size pieces of mine and started all over. I know some folks will think that’s sad but it’s not at all sad: it’s growth. It may have been an experiment gone wrong, nevertheless you can’t help but learn from any experiment you work on, so although it was a frustrating thing to have to do (and humbling!), it was nevertheless successful. The pieces I’m working on as “round 2” are turning out SO much better than the previous “round 1”. That is a good thing.

But I digress. I would suggest that if someone were considering art as a career, I would absolutely suggest they ask an established artist whether or not they went to art school, and if so, which one and did they feel the experience prepared them for their future career as an artist.

I have strong feelings about art schools, because they can be really great or really a complete waste of money and time. A visit to the school and their student gallery will usually tell you all you need to know. If all the artwork is off the scale bizarre that will tell you something. If an artist wants to sell their work to the general public, then they need to consider what the general public would purchase. For instance, I once saw an “art piece” in a museum that was a clothes drier with lint balls coming out of it. That was it. I heard a guy behind me whisper to his wife, “that’s art??”. Really good question. I think sometimes that if art can sell, it ends up in a gallery. If it can’t sell, it ends up in a museum. I know that’s a horrible exaggeration but that’s how it feels sometimes.

My point in bringing that up is that if an art school doesn’t train the students in the “rules of art” (yes, there are rules), and if they’re just encouraged to express themselves with no guidance, the students will not be equipped to actually produce sellable art. They basically enrolled in an art therapy program, but I would recommend a would be professional artist hunts out a good school that will teach them technique and hammer the rules into them. Rules can be broken, but you have to be really skilled at how and when to break them. That requires learning.

Question 2: "How long have you been selling your work professionally?"

When you're training to be an artist, whether that's informal training (on your own or as part of a group) or more formal training (i.e. art school), there are things you need to find out in order to best plan your route from Point A (art as a hobby) to Point B (art as a career). I've come up with twelve questions to start with. There are probably many more questions but these are a few I thought of that are meant to at least get you going in the right direction. 

If you've been reading these posts, you know I've answered the first of twelve questions in my last post. Here, we tackle question 2: "How long have you been selling your work professionally?"

The answer to this question can be stuck in the same mental box as the answer to the first question. The answer to the first question I proposed will give you an idea of how long this person has been doing art. The answer to this second question will tell you how long they've been SELLING art. Both questions are background questions. They are meant to orient you as the interviewer to the artist you're speaking to so you know how to weigh what they will share as they answer the rest of the questions. I don't mean this as a rude or "judgemental" exercise. I just mean that if someone has been marketing and selling their work for years, they will probably know more about how to market and sell artwork than someone doing it for eight months. Again, this is just to give you a way to know which answers (when you get conflicting answers from different artists) should be given more weight. That's all. 

“…if I was depending entirely on the income from selling my paintings in galleries, I’d be a starving artist”

Personally, I've been selling my artwork for about 25 years now. I started selling in a gallery in Orlando, Florida (where I was living at the time) and it was a heady thing realizing people would actually part with their money in order to purchase one of my paintings. It was awesome. In the beginning, my questions were all about how to get into another gallery. I'll talk more about that later, but I've learned that if I was depending entirely on the income I get from selling my paintings in galleries, I'd be a starving artist. Galleries are helpful because they give you "vacation money" (extra funds you can just look at as fun money) but there are other outlets to tap into for more of a steady income stream. Again, more on that in answer to a later question. For now, just know that getting into a gallery was where I started, and the day I was told they wanted to represent me at the gallery was truly an amazing and exciting day. That's a good start but...it was not the end. More on that to come.