Artist Struglle

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   Steff Tompkinsposted 9 years ago

   I find it a bit difficult to keep myself in my artistic habits. I am a visual artist so I am always being creative in different ways than one. I just want to know what everyone else does to keep themselves motivated when they are struggling between work or even lack of encouragement.

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      Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Realize that making visual art is harder than making music. Music is abstract and art is concrete. It is the difference between holding a butterfly and carrying a rock. You must love images. You must have a joy of images in the mind where they originate, where they are light and abstract… then bring them into manifestation into the concrete world. It just has to be a crazy passion.
      It is a really good idea to write down your ideas / images.

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         Steff Tompkinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thank You! I will definitely take your advice! I also play music so I am all over the place with my art or music. It just seems hard to keep your dreams alive when people do not understand that it is your passion to make art and music. They do not believe it is a way to be successful. i definitely have a love for the both of them. It is just difficult to keep going when the going is tough. I used to write down and sketch a bunch so I will have to continue my creative stream doing that again. Thank You again for your advice!

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            Kathryn L Hillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            You are lucky to be in touch with your inner interests. Just remember that. The more you go within to that place where creativity originates the more powerful your talent for bringing it forth can become.

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   2. 70

      AshtonFireflyposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think one of the beautiful things about being an artist is that your artistic expression is uniquely your own. Your experiences, your thoughts, your feelings--all relayed through visual or audible art. To be honest with you, I think that alot of artists have "dry" spells. Times where they don't feel motivated or are lacking passion or motivation to keep going.
      
      Just remember: You don't need other people to encourage you, to feel motivated! The people who faced the most opposition are the ones who create the most powerful work. Why? Because there is so much emotion and conflict involved with what they are doing. If you want, take this frustration that you feel, the feeling of not feeling motivated or encouraged, and put that feeling itself into music or art. As artists, we are almost always feeling something; and usually deeply at that.
      
      My encouragement to you is: take what you feel now and try to create with it. If you feel you cannot, don't worry. You still have alot more creativity inside you. Sometimes it just needs to "brew" for a while.
      
      From one artist to another

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      1. 62

         Steff Tompkinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Than you both so much

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   waynetposted 9 years ago

   You can create an art journal. I do this often and daily because I'm used to it and I also have a dream journal too which can be interesting because I'm writing as well as drawing what I dream. I keep both next to my bed because I draw and write a lot and as soon as I wake I need to do both like a drug.
   
   When creativity is stifled, you need to try and have a break or loosen yourself up so that your mind is free to roam and flow into creating some art or writing some words that mean something.

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      Castlepalomaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It's not easy being an artist full time.
      
      Do not know any other field or trade where people love their work so much. Lucky it drives me for most waking hours of my life, like having a long term love relationship. During hard times, need to do any or everything it takes to keep it together. For the love of doing the work will follow by money in order to keep practicing.
      
      Too bad many artist do not care enough about the business side of the balancing part of the practice.

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