Gathering Series - Overcoming Obstacles

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

 ~ Moliere 

You need to know your obstacle, is it home, work, feeling un-inspired? All of them? Defining the issue will help with getting through it.

Ask yourself:

·       What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your artistic vision?

·       How much effort are you or can you invest in reaching your vision?

·       Can you see ways to improve how you create?

·       What can you do differently artistically?

·       Do you need to ask for creative help?

·       Are you physically tired or creatively tired?

Now once you figured out the obstacle, how do you proceed? You may have to set up your own guidelines to follow that give you enough room and freedom to get creative. Even setting up an appointment with yourself to work may do immensely well for you.  It is easy for work, family and other things to come in your way, but take a moment and take a step back before committing to things; if you really want to try a new technique or just finish some little pieces, there are times that saying “no” or “can we do it this at another time” is the right thing.

Now that you are moving through the obstacle, do you still feel stuck or un-inspired? Try something different in your routine, different music, movie, or complete silence or try a new way to create; paints, computer, pencil. There are even times when you need to just put whatever the piece is away and just start something new. Do not put so much pressure on yourself for it to be perfect, embrace all the imperfections.

Give yourself an assignment; for example: challenges of 30 days of creating and in those thirty days choose a theme to create daily. By doing this you will have to schedule time to work, especially if you post on social media that you are doing this and by posting daily what it is you are creating, you will receive encouragement, find you groove and then it will be come a necessity that you fit art into your life.

It is always important to know it is okay to ask for help. Teachers, friends, peers all want to see you succeed, feeling stuck affects everyone, you may be asking for help for yourself and inspire them as well.

If you do all this and still are left feeling like the obstacle is before you, be radical in your next step, sign up for a class, find books with new ideas for you to explore or perhaps take a friend along with you. Challenge a friend to work on a piece together, have your friend give you a theme or idea and go from there or use something of their work that inspires you and try things out their way.

Obstacles will always be there, it is how you look at it and move around the obstruction, that makes it just a wrinkle in the paper.