In elementary school, I was constantly drawing pictures. Scribbles turned into doodles and doodles turned into drawings. Eventually, drawings in crayon turned into paintings on a canvas. As I grew older, my relationship with art changed, as what started off as a hobby eventually became something I was absolutely infatuated with. Going to an arts high school and joining creative clubs on campus made art both the most intimidating yet intriguing thing in the world.
To me, art felt like stories waiting to be told on a page. The caveat was that I never knew what stories I wanted to tell. Here are four things that helped me re-find my passion for art.
1. Keep the stakes low
A black canvas was always the most intimidating to me. An empty canvas was filled with millions of possibilities, and I never knew how to start. I never wanted to start something new since I was scared to ruin the canvas. The best thing about acrylic paint on canvas is that you can paint it over multiple times. Instead of staring at a blank canvas, I fill the canvas with a random color just to get myself started. Empty sketchbooks were no longer seen as a portfolio of my best work, but rather a series of messy sketches and ideas.
2. Finding inspiration around you
Nothing motivates me to try something new more than finding inspiration from others. I love watching videos of sketchbook tours and time lapses of people drawing. Going to museums, talking to people who are artists, or even scrolling on Pinterest can always give me new ideas. Whenever I’m not sure about how to start or have trouble coming up with new ideas, looking at other people’s past work always helps me.
3. Joining communities
Similarly to finding inspiration whether that be online or in person, joining communities can be a good way to not only practice what you enjoy doing with other people, but it also becomes a way to find other people who are interested in the same things as you. I joined an art club and a DeCal this semester, and it’s been really fun to see everyone else’s drawings as well as sharing different tips and ideas.
4. Trying something new
Sometimes, trying a new aspect of something you are interested in can lead to an exploration of something entirely new. Whenever I have trouble starting or finding motivation to begin an art piece, I try out a new medium in order to experiment with something new.
When re-finding a passion, it can always be daunting to start again since it’s something familiar yet new if you haven’t actively tried pursuing your passion in a while. For me, finding new ways to start and seeing other people around you do the same things you like to do is always a good way to begin.