How do you get motivation for art?

[vogelbiene]

lately I've had a lull in motivation concerning writing and drawing,
so I want to see how you guys all get your muse/inspiration/motivation
for your creative activities!!
especially those who make those marvelous arts.
you all know who I'm talking about--
honestly, it would be nice, and you may just help others out who are
stumped for ideas on how to gain their muse back. ain't that nice?!

I suppose this is just a general 'help' thread. uvu​

 

[namiieco]

I only draw when I feel like it
Nothing in particular inspires me

 

[apharel]

Draw consistently but don't overdo it.

Don't always draw for others- draw for yourself sometimes!

Go back and redraw old art, but break out of your comfort zone.

Spend more time on creating mood and atmospheres via background and lighting to have your art tell a story.

 

[Jint]

for me, it's mostly music, and seeing art by other people;;
I love listening to utaites (my faves these days are reol & soraru), sometimes the emotion that they put into songs are very touching for me ; H ;
art by other people is a major motivation for me since!! sometimes you look at a thing and you want to draw thing like the thing so... 8"D
I follow a lot of artblogs + reblog a lot of art on tumblr, so if I'm ever stuck, I could go back and look at them to motivate myself ` H`)9"

I also want to second apharel's "Don't always draw for others- draw for yourself sometimes!" !!!
there was a time when I mostly just drew commissions and I slowly felt less and less willing to draw >->o

and just make sure that you enjoy drawing generally, I guess!! don't force yourself if you're not feeling it, it's only going to make it worst - at least, in my experience www

edit: putting these two blog links here [one] [two] - they're my own personal "inspiration reserves" that I go to to look at art when I'm stuck www
​

 

[noizora]

Reiterating what the above 2 said about drawing for youself
Since about May I've been doing commissions non-stop and felt like my art was in a rut. I had trouble coming up with concepts and motivating myself to actually finish a drawing because the commissions conditioned art to be sort of a 'chore'

Take breaks!! Put down the pen for a month or two and let your inspirations build up, then let them all out like a flood rather than a trickling tap.

Look at other people's artwork. Take a feeling you get from looking at another painting/photo, reading a story, etc and recreate that for yourself.

Photo study and exercises - this can get you back in the habit of drawing as well as improving mechanically (if that's the right word?)
What I like to do is browse stock photos of action poses and draw it, then add clothing/hair/features to turn it into a character

Best of luck!

 

[spookycipher]

i like 2 listen 2 music and look @ other people's art bc it's inspiring!! also i like 2 scribble a lot. u know,,.. just jot down ideas and lil doodls and those usually become something super cool (this usually happens in an important class in school though hahahahhh,,)
but u also need 2 t8ke lost of br8kes bc it's not fun 2 force yourself 2 draw if u dont feel like it!! :0

 

[strawberrigod]

I think it's best to also look at your surroundings and what you like so you feel more inclined to draw it. Like for me, I play piano and have a keyboard in my room a lot of the time I draw things revolving around music. Another method I used which is a bit strange is drawing based off lines. Like I'll draw a bunch of shapes or lines and try to connect them and sometimes I just get an idea off that.
Also, one time I tried to draw a spider but it wasn't working out so I used what I already drew to make one of those Russian dolls with a sky pattern hanging from a string surrounded by stars hanging from their strings. I just wanted to make a freaking spider I happened to see in the bathroom. So yeah I think just start with drawing from surroundings then spin off randomly into something else haha

 

[MayorJudyOfZootopia]

i mostly draw stuff from video games i like

 

[FleuraBelle]

Watching a movie, good cartoon, good anime, or reading a book normally inspires my creativity. Or simply just starting to draw can sometimes motovate me. But the others are right, sometimes you need to draw for yourself. Not everything is finishing up comissions for other people. Just find a time when you are happy and maybe draw. Or if you are sad, maybe draw. Or angry, just draw. And if you are bored, draw something that signifies how bored you are. Just take some time to sit down, relax and think about things related to how you currently feel.

 

[vogelbiene]

thank you all for your help!! I can see that a lot of
you agree that always doing commissions really ruins
the entertainment of drawing. I'll keep that in mind,
considering that I've basically been doing that this
whole time.
I also think I have been biting off more than
I can chew aaa

again, thank you all for your contribution, and please,
keep them coming! quq

 

[riummi]

I usually take a break and just stop thinking about art for awhile. However, in the worst cases that never works so I find that getting really into music helps. I also like saving tumblr posts for inspiration - whether it be scenery or color palettes and stuff.

 

[Chelsaurus]

Ever since I wanted to even try to draw (not long ago) it was from the amazing people on here that inspired me to even learn. And carry on doing so when I see everyone's art and styles it motivates me to carry on working on my art to try and better myself. I too follow art bloggers-that's a lot of inspiration there if you can find a blogger who's style you really like.

I think what people have said about commissions is correct which is why I think ideas like art contests or threads such as what kianli created (draw the person above you character) I think they are some great ways to try get some motivation back since you can pick what you'd fancy drawing etc rather than having to just do them because its a commission

I hope you get your artsy fartsy stuff back. Perhaps try and doodle things every now and again

- - - Post Merge - - -

Ok that is long..... Sorry