Facing the Artist’s Block

This week it's part two of our inspiration posts. Last week we covered what inspiration was and how you could go hunting it down. This week week talk about where it goes and why.

Have you ever sat down at your workbench  or drawing board, feeling good, proud of what you've accomplished so far, and intending to get some new ideas for work together, but then, all you can do is stare at a blank page, because nothing is coming to you? Slowly your good mood drains away, and all you can think about is "but where did all my ideas go?" Or you start to draw, but nothing is looking right, despite the fact that you know this is a good idea? These two problems, and other related ones are collectively known as Artist's Block.
There are people who swear it is a real thing. There are also others who say it's all in your head and can be avoided with proper care and work. While it is entirely possible that both camps are correct, it boils down to the same thing. Your inspiration is gone.

So... Where did it go? One idea is that you've done too much of the same thing. Another is that it's been too long since you soaked up some of whatever it was that inspired you in the first place. A third idea is simply that you've worked too hard for too long. A fourth is criticism, whether from yourself or others has got you down. Are there other theories? Probably. These are just the ones I've run across, and experienced.

Luckily, each of these has a 'fix' of sorts.
1. Try something different. If you've been working on beads all the time, try doing some wire or metalwork. Or even just a new stitch.
2. Go hunt down the thing that originally inspired you. Watch that show again, read that book. Go for a run, or look at pictures.
3. Take a break! Breaks are just as important for your brain as they are for your body. Your brain needs time to relax and review what you've learned so that it can keep innovating and coming up with new ideas.
4. This one is two options, and depends entirely on you. Option A is to grab a supportive friend and talk it out. Sometimes having a second opinion can help. Option B is to write it out. Play devil's advocate with yourself. One side argues in favor of the criticism, the other side argues against it. For some, having it down on paper helps to put things in perspective. That's it for this weeks discussion of inspiration and the perils of Artist's Block.

Like the post?

Have thoughts on the peril's of Artist's Block?

Do you secretly have a dragon hatching in your fireplace?

Feel free to comment below!

Inspiration… what’s that?

I'm thinking a lot about inspiration today. Where does it come from? Where does it go when you're facing the dreaded artist's block? Is there a way to guarantee you have it every time you sit down at your bench?
Let's start with the definition.

in·spi·ra·tion

\ in(t)-spə- rā-shən, -( )spi-\

noun

1 a : a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation; b : the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions; c : the act of influencing or suggesting opinions;

2 : the act of drawing in; specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs

3 a : the quality or state of being inspired b : something that is inspired <a scheme that was pure inspiration>
4 : an inspiring agent or influence

Wow... That's a lot. Well let's see. We can cross of the second one. Although we are all breathing* that isn't the one we need.  The third one also doesn't seem to be what we need. And 1a is just a whole can of worms that we can leave to theologists.
So that leaves us with 1b,  c, and 4. To restate:

1. b : the action or power of moving  the intellect or emotions; c : the act of influencing or

suggesting opinions;

4 : an inspiring agent or influence

Those seem pretty good to me. An inspiring agent or influence. One that moves the intellect and emotions, and influence or suggest opinions.
Now we know what the dictionary says.... But it still doesn't really explain where it comes from..... In reality, that question is as complex as trying to figure out motives for why people do things. Some of the most common sources I've seen are art, emotions, people and scenery. For me, I find a lot of inspiration by going for a run. I'll see a particularly interesting arrangement of rocks in the water. Or if I'm up early enough, I'll see the sky turning some really strange shades of red and purple. Sometimes, as y'all have seen on Fridays I'll get inspired by reading or watching something.

This is just me though. For others I'd suggest, look to what you find fun, interesting, or moving. See if there's something that springs to mind from it. Am image? A shape? A pattern?  Another suggestion (and one I know I need to listen to more often) from other artists is this: draw every day. Draw everything. Draw all the things. Even if it looks positively horrible. If you do it every day, you'll get better at it. Honest, you will. (Or so they tell me.)  What this does is give you a basis to improve your skills, so that when you want to draw out the pieces you want to make, you'll actually be able to. You will have developed the skill to accurately depict what you want to make.

Wow this post has gone on longer than I thought it would. O.o We’ll continue on next week and ponder the myriad ways that the evil artists block can steal your lovely inspiration next week. Have a good day! :-)

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Have thoughts about inspiration? Comment below!

*(right? All of you are in fact living, right? I don't have any zombies following me? ;-))

Book Review: Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry

Title: Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry: A Workshop in Painting with Fire
Author:  Barbara Lewis 

Pictures: 8/10
Clarity of Instruction: 7/10
Complexity: 7/10
Overall Score: 8/10
It took me eons to get my hands on this book, but it was well worth the wait. I love playing with fire, and my Max Flame torch is my best friend. <3 I try to find a way to use it for almost every piece of jewelry I make, in some way shape or form, simply because I love playing with fire. It doesn't often turn out that I can just yet, but I try. This book, kicked that into overdrive.
The 'getting started' section covers things I never would've considered, including etching copper sheet, and what the author calls 'hot riveting'. The etching...I don't even want to think about the money I'd have to sink into it, but I admit, I am very interesting in trying that one day. As to the hot riveting, sadly, with my microtorch, it's just not possible. The flame is simply too big. I'll have to upgrade to MAPP at some point.. probably when I get an actual workshop ;) The color play in this book is lovely, and the projects are interesting. I admit, most of them are not to my personal style, on the flip side though, that doesn't mean there is a single project in here that I wouldn't attempt. Just flipping through this book has me scrambling for my sketch book so that I can draw out ideas and make color notes, things I want to try.
One of the things I found really interesting to learn is that enamel doesn't mix like paints do. Which, yeah, in retrospect makes total sense. It's made of glass particles, why would it mix like a liquid? (Paint does count as a liquid right?) So what do you do if you can't find the shade you really really want? Get a transparent enamel. This was the most stunning advice I'd ever found. The idea is that the transparent holds a.. a  'ghost' of the color. Hmm, that's not the clearest way to explain that. Try this:  Say you want to make a green pendant, but you don't have any. You do have blue and yellow though. If you layer a blue enamel, and then overlay it with yellow, you'll get speckles. Looks pretty, sure. But it's not what you wanted is it? If however you take a blue enamel, and fire a transparent yellow over it, you will get a green. I can't vouch for what green yet, because I don't have any transparent enamels. ^^ I'll have to test that out at some point in the future for ya'll though. 
This book is... possibly one of the coolest books I've found. I love the ideas that I've learned from reading it, and I cannot wait to expand my enamels so that I can work with it even more.  One idea that I'd love to try out someday, that this book inspired was a series of necklaces, one for every month, with a different enameled flower for that month.
One thing that isn't covered within the book, but is mentioned on the author's webpage: Thompson Enamels does NOT sell their enamels in 3oz packages as is suggested in the book. You have your options of 1oz sample packs, 2oz or 8oz for individual colors. This is important to keep in mind, as 3oz really does make a big difference. However, if you're going to get into this, you have two options that I could hunt down. 1) You can buy from the Painting with Fire studio. Their colors are SO much better organized than Thompsons, in my opinion. (I admit though, that could be because of my browser.) 2) Is that you can buy directly from Thompson Enamels. The upside, you can get it directly from the manufacturer, and any blame can be placed directly at their feet.  Both of these have their upsides and their downsides. Choose for yourself based on what you think you can afford.
** An interesting note that I learned is that colors like red, orange and yellow are often more expensive because they will have some amount of gold in them.
I will add a disclaimer as a final note. In this book the author states that micro torches do not get hot enough to work with enamel. However, after reading this article, I was willing to take the risk and see if it was possible. For this post I'll leave it at this, it IS possible, if you're careful and you're willing to make mistakes at first.
Do you have any thoughts on this book? Feel free to comment below. :)