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Dealing with Artistic Impasse

by Palle Schmidt Leave a Comment

If you struggle to get any creative work done at all, it could mean a number of things. If it feels like the well is dry, maybe you need to fill it up. Seek inspiration in other art forms or simply allow yourself some time off. If you’re feeling completely burned out it could even be a sign of depression, but most likely it stems from some kind of fear.

The fear of failure, the fear of finishing. When a work is finished and put out into the world it can feel like a loss of control and setting yourself up for criticism. It can be hard to live up to the expectations of the audience as well as your own.

If you’re not able to “dance with that fear”, as Seth Godin put’s it, you are dead in the water. It could help to trick yourself into thinking of the work as a jam session rather than a large scale concert where nothing must go wrong. We talked about this idea earlier, but the fear of the blank page is real and tangible. You need to splash some paint on that canvas, put yourself in a situation where you don’t freeze up. I still have a ton of doubts about whatever I am creating. Experience has taught me to push through those doubts and distracting my monkey brain in the process. Just putting on a pair of headphones and doing one task at a time, going for progress not perfection.

When I was working on my graphic novel STILETTO, I made a rule for myself; I was not allowed to redraw or make significant corrections until after I had finished all 120 pages of artwork. I made mental notes whenever I was dissatisfied with a panel, promising myself I would fix it later. But guess what? When looking at the book as a whole, redrawing those panels didn’t feel so important any more. I ended up redrawing maybe a handful of panels, all because of continuity or for clearer storytelling, not because I didn’t like the art. I was able to keep myself from getting derailed by postponing judgment. It also saved me a ton of work.

Attempts to cheat your own brain like that don’t always work. If you feel you lack ideas or lack the drive to create, go do something else. I always used to think of my creativity as a bonfire that had to be kept burning. I was afraid the fire would die out if I left it alone for too long. Now I feel like walking away from it for a day, a week or even a month is the best way to get a bigger fire burning. Seeing new places, getting new experiences and learning something new are almost surefire ways of getting out of a creative funk.

On a day-to-day basis I also try to use the approach of getting a different perspective. I bring my notebook on a walk along the lakes or to a cafe. I flip my drawings over on the light box, look at the mirrored image and immediately spot mistakes I was blind to before. I print out my manuscript and go sit in another chair or in the kitchen rather than stare at the computer screen. Going back and forth between digital and analogue as well as changing scenes can help you get out of whatever rut you’re stuck in.


This post is an excerpt from my book SOLO – Survival Guide for Creative Freelancers – Get in now on Amazon.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: art, burnout, criticism, fear of failure, freelance life, inner critic, procrastination, self-doubt, self-employed, SOLO, workflow, writer's block

Bonus Video: Lucy Bellwood and her 100 Demons

by Palle Schmidt 1 Comment

I first met Lucy at Periscope Studios in Portland, OR, where I had the great privilege to work from a guest table for a few weeks back in 2014 (you can hear the podcast episode I did with Steve Lieber here). Even then she struck me with her wisdom, despite her young age. I never managed to get a real sit-down with Lucy back then but when I saw her new project 100 Demon Dialogues I jumped at the opportunity to chat with her about dealing with your inner demons as an artist, tabling at cons and having a career as a creative freelancer.

Check it out here and please share with your self-deprecating artist friends!

Links mentioned in this video:

lucybellwood.com
facebook.com/baggywrinkles
howtobeaconartist.tumblr.com
Lucy is @lubelwoo on both Instagram and Twitter

Filed Under: News, Video Tagged With: career, cartoonist, collaboration, Comics conventions, comics industry, creativity, criticism, improving as an artist, interview, Lucy Bellwood, making comics, pro tips, self-critique, self-doubt, self-talk, social media, tabling at cons

Comics for Beginners Podcast Episode 30 – Why We Quit

by Palle Schmidt 4 Comments

 
Making comics is fun – but also hard and lonely work! What do you do when you are dissatisfied with your story or your art? How do you stay motivated, when no one seems to care? How do you stay on track when you meet resistance from within? I offer some personal advice and insights in this episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

My graphic novel The Devil’s Concubine, which was almost abandoned
My crime noir graphic novel STILETTO finally available in English! Check it out at Thrillbent
Thomas Alsop vol. 1 trade paperback (collects issues 1-4)

Filed Under: Podcast, Pro Tips Tagged With: #makecomics, art, artwork, career, creativity, criticism, critique, dissatisfaction, how to, learning, mind hacks, mindset, mistakes, persistence, tips for making comics

The Dark Side – Comics for Beginners Podcast episode 28

by Palle Schmidt 3 Comments


No time is more approriate for a little self- examination than the beginning of a new year. Sparked by a rather painful personal relationship issue, I dig deep and look on the dark side – not just only my own less-than-perfect psyche but also the general emotions like envy, the need to vent or the need for recognition – and what happens if we are not mindful about the vibes we’re sending out. I go through ten lessons I have learned in the past few years that hopefully helped me become a more positive influence and a happier person to boot.

The ten lessons:

  1. Complaining is the first step. BUT NOT A STRATEGY FOR CHANGE
  2. If you keep doing the same thing, you can’t expect a different result
  3. Negativity is not helpful
  4. Just because I have high expectations of myself, doesn’t mean I should have them on behalf of everyone else
  5. You don’t know what lies behind a success
  6. When you’re envious of others, it’s because there’s something there that you want
  7. The grass is not greener
  8. The need for recognition is not a hole that can be filled
  9. Hurtful episodes can be turned into something positive
  10.  Being positive is just as annoying as being negative

Hopefully these painful lessons can be an inspriration and a wake up call to others.

 

Filed Under: Podcast, Pro Tips Tagged With: career, creativity, criticism, envy, mind hacks, mistakes, Mr. Grumpypants, negativity, Palle Schmidt, productivity, psychology, recognition, self-examination, social media

Money for nothing with Ben Dewey – Comics for Beginners podcast episode 25

by Palle Schmidt 2 Comments

“Think about things in terms of story. Anything else is just flourish and self-promotion”

I talk to artist Ben Dewey about art, music and the Faustian aspect of working crappy jobs while pursuing a carreer in comics creation. Besides being the artist and writer of his own Tragedy Series (http://www.tradegyseries.tumblr.com), he is the artist on Tooth and Claw with writer Kurt Busiek, released this week from Image Comics. Luckily Ben is not just incredibly talented but also very articulate about the craft and the life of a creative person. Really good advice in this episode!

For a preview of Tooth and Claw, go here.

Related podcast: Episode 25 – Periscope Studio with Steve Lieber

Filed Under: Podcast, Pro Tips Tagged With: art, Benjamin Dewey, career, comics industry, crappy jobs, creativity, criticism, Faust, Image Comics, Kurt Busiek, Mark Knopfler, music, Periscope Studio, podcast, Portland, storytelling, Tooth and Claw, Tragedy Series, Writing

Bonus Vid – How To Hold a Pencil

by Palle Schmidt 12 Comments

Is there a right way to hold a pen or a pencil when you draw?

One of my YouTube chanel followers seems to think so. And it’s NOT how I hold a pencil!

Sign up for my FREE  7-day Comics Crash Course

Filed Under: Pro Tips, Video Tagged With: career, creativity, criticism, drawing, how to, inking, making comics, mistakes, pencil, pro tips

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