That Little Monster Called Art Block

Ahh, art. It feels so good to pick up a pencil and just sketch what comes to your brain. But sometimes we encounter this mind-altering problem known as the formidable art-block. We struggle and strain to sketch a circle and once we have finally achieved it, drawing no longer sounds relaxing. More of a chore, really. Forcing our brains to draw something we can't possibly draw while we're in this mood isn't good, nor is it safe.

 Now, don't get me wrong, art-block isn't the same thing as pure laziness. (Which I have found myself to have acquired many times before.) Art-block is the feeling of not having anything left to draw, whilst laziness is just plain not-wanting-to-do-anything.

If you're suffering from art-block, don't force yourself to pick up a pencil. Don't force yourself to draw something and make yourself angry and nervous. Relax, take a deep breath, drink some tea, read a book, even! Just let your mind take a break. I assure you, nothing feels better than coming back from a break and realizing that the art-block has been conquered!

Your mind will thank you, your siblings will thank you, your spouse will thank you, even your dog will thank you.

                               Lots of artistic love,
                         Lyndi

Blogging... that's a new one for me. Reading other people's blogs over the years, I finally came to the conclusion that I'd never be able to make my own. Not with the same amount of talent.

Well, that's phooey.

Blogging is writing what comes to you naturally. You needn't fit others standards when you write. You needn't be as good or as smart as another. Just write.

"But Lyndi!" You ask, "What if nothing comes naturally?"

See, that's what I tried to tell myself before I finally got up the courage to try. What if people made fun of me after I wrote a poem for my cat or my own recipe for french fries? What if everything I tried to write ended up in disaster? Let me tell you, no one except you knows what you were trying to write. They might enjoy reading about your new puppy or making a cake. You'll never know until you try.

Sometimes spilling your emotions onto a page is just the thing to get you started. So go on, give it a whirl! It never hurt anyone to try.