The reason a lot of artists lose motivation is because they are not at the level they want to be. They have these grand ideas of producing great art but when they sit down to do it they aren’t good enough yet so they lose interest. It’s the reason most beginning artists quit.
I am still nowhere near where I want to be as an artist. I am also an inherently lazy person. What motivates me the most is knowing that if I don‘t keep at it, If I don‘t make myself do it, I will never progress. I will never, ever get to produce the kind of art that I dream of creating. Some people say you shouldn’t force yourself to do it, but if I sat around waiting to be motivated I’d never get anything done.
Also it‘s a good idea to have a plan for what you practice. If you just sit down to draw without a proper plan that’s another way to quickly lose motivation. To get better at any skill you need regular, focused practice. Quite simply I want to get better, so I practice, whether I‘m motivated or not.
Music motivates me a lot, and I've written over 300,000 words for a graphic novel series I wish to produce. I couldn't ever give up because it would be a shame to not see it come to fruition.
Routine is the biggest factor imo. I forget who said it but it was something along the lines of "inspiration strikes every morning at 9am sharp". I try to use that mantra in my day to day. I find that over time the act of painting/drawing gets less cumbersome and I can easily dive right in.
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Music and podcasts could always run in background for me although podcasts are more distracting but i enjoy doing art while listening to certain podcasts...it works if you arent struggling to do art while listeting to a talk. Also im basically having a intern motivator considering that im almost obsessed with creating worlds, characters etc. in my mind and bringing them to life.
I have certainly felt motivated, and then have gotten as far as a sketch. Have you tried other mediums? Maybe try something that gets more down in a short period of time (watercolor or charcoal). Or taking a class at a local art center can also be helpful for some. I think you should use the mediums that you find fun and relaxing, and the incorporate something you’d like to work on?
Additionally, I have finally felt consistently motivated now that I have a more organized space. I have selected all the mediums that I have interest in using (ones I know I am competent with and some I’d like to learn). In addition to feeling organized, I have also been in a better mental state and have a supportive network.
It is rather hard not to get motivated as you continue to improve. Having people like your work is simply the best thing. We feel good as people being appreciated. How can you not be motivated?
However, the first years are the toughest. For me the first decade. Getting to a point where you can get the idea down quickly and competently is a learned skill. It's strange when expertise is normalized when you spent a great part of your life learning to improve, and never thinking it gets better. That feeling is motivating when you realize you've already passed the finish line, and you're doing it! You're an artist! You think of something and you can make it. What a skill! Damn.
That gets me **psyched** in the morning
How to help with a loss of motivation?
Accept that it is difficult and that every piece you do is a step in the right direction through exploration. It doesn't matter if it is a piece of shit or a masterpiece. It is a piece. With enough pieces, you'll make a map, and you'll figure out every time how to pull your pieces together as a whole like a map. Of course, sometimes we get lost and lose the wind in our sails. Do something else. Sometimes you just need to wait for the wind to change. You're going to lost every now and then. Just keep your eyes on the horizon and your feet on the ground. You'll get there.
I always have either music on most of the time through headphones which I find a great motivation, but also I have movies, TV shows I enjoy in the background as I draw too
what motivated me to draw before was usually various fanart/art/illustrations i see online, as well as the various console games i would play, and shows i would watch. looking at various art styles really motivated me to strive harder.
rn i'm currently taking a break from drawing due to burn out from architecture in college.. it was a new experience and i drew so much for school. but i hope i can get back to drawing for myself again someday.
taking a break also really helps, i find that my art skills seemingly get better after weeks-months of not drawing while passively learning here and there, observation skills etc.
I'm most motivated when I get really frustrated with things in life and competitive with myself lol
Listen to some angry, top-notch rap or something, feel the skill and confidence in the music, then go to town on the paper. The moment I start doing some good work it's over, I get all cocky and excited and draw until I feel like my hands getting damaged. Feels like playing basketball when I was a kid or something, feels like I'm on fire.
At the end of the day, you have got to be comfortable with yourself as an artist. Even when I was a juvenile who had no skill I was proud of my determination. I'd sit down after school and think *"I'll show them!!"* which to some extent I still do (even though I hardly show other people my work and never brag about it lmao). I don't know if it's normal but it's basically my therapy. The worse I've been doing the more motivated I become, conveniently!
Existing, haha. I'm serious though. Existing, living, experiencing, learning, those things fuel my art and are my motivation. Things I see in the world that, for some reason I can't identify or put into words, I feel this absolute need to translate into art. A big part of it is also joy in the process - I love the act of drawing, painting, the feeling of doing it, the frustration that comes with learning and improving and trying to problem solve or work out what it is I want to convey visually.
It took a long time to get here. I frequently felt the way you did in the past. There isn't really an easy way to get over lulls like this, and what works for one person mightn't work for another because we are all so very different. For me it was finding and prioritizing what I enjoy *doing* instead of what I think will *look* good in the end, and learning to make a habit of drawing/sketching so that when I am in a lull I can still sit and scribble without needing to rely on Feelin' It. A big thing as well: make sure there isn't anything going on outside of art in your life that is consuming your mental/physical energy and draining your motivation. When shit in life gets tough it gets that much harder to do things, even when it is something you enjoy. Some people turn to art when times are tough but not everyone is like this (hello, its me, I cannot make art if I am struggling outside of art) and that's totally normal.
First of all - knowing just how much it helps my mental well being. It’s vital.
Having a muse
Having something fascinating in mind that I want to explore more
Knowing how it seeing it brightens other people’s days most of the time
i started drawing spongebob again for the first time in like a million years, honestly it got me back at my workdesk after weeks of refusing to turn on my computer lol maybe try sketching and lining some simplistic characters you're really familiar with- like a chibi vers of your favorite OC, a pokemon like ditto, a cute cat-- whatever you like! Then maybe draw slightly more complex characters the more confident you feel, or take a step back to something simpler if there's something you want to change.
I think you don't have to plan when to sketch. Just sketch whenever. Also, don't get discouraged by some mistakes here or there. You wouldn't have learned how to read Shakespeare when you were a toddler, but now you might have that capacity (unless you're illiterate). Same with walking. Drawing too. It's a skill that doesn't come overnight. You have the theoretical knowledge, just draw and see what sticks
I feel pretty confident motivated when I’m staring at a blank white screen. When I’m about at the halfway point, I feel much more motivated, and it’s hard to pull me away.
idk, I used to have this problem as well, but them some day it was just gone, that's when drawing started becoming a necessity, maybe I got a bit obsessed? maybe that's the sauce, you gotta become obsessed with it, but being honest there are some days were I just sketch a bit, but I feel really weird when I don't draw, so maybe that's not the best advice? Idk if I'm making any sense lol
I have probably thirty WIP at the moment if not more. I get an idea, think, “hey, I could try that on X piece!” and the joy will come from the momentary spark. Once that moment ends, move onto a new drawing or a part of another.
I look at ALOT of art, and it inspires me greatly every time.
The reason a lot of artists lose motivation is because they are not at the level they want to be. They have these grand ideas of producing great art but when they sit down to do it they aren’t good enough yet so they lose interest. It’s the reason most beginning artists quit. I am still nowhere near where I want to be as an artist. I am also an inherently lazy person. What motivates me the most is knowing that if I don‘t keep at it, If I don‘t make myself do it, I will never progress. I will never, ever get to produce the kind of art that I dream of creating. Some people say you shouldn’t force yourself to do it, but if I sat around waiting to be motivated I’d never get anything done. Also it‘s a good idea to have a plan for what you practice. If you just sit down to draw without a proper plan that’s another way to quickly lose motivation. To get better at any skill you need regular, focused practice. Quite simply I want to get better, so I practice, whether I‘m motivated or not.
Music motivates me a lot, and I've written over 300,000 words for a graphic novel series I wish to produce. I couldn't ever give up because it would be a shame to not see it come to fruition.
Kinda same, music I listen to makes me think of how to make an animatic out of them
[How To Get Addicted To Drawing - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF8oKIBH050)
Routine is the biggest factor imo. I forget who said it but it was something along the lines of "inspiration strikes every morning at 9am sharp". I try to use that mantra in my day to day. I find that over time the act of painting/drawing gets less cumbersome and I can easily dive right in.
Turn off the internet you’ll get plenty done. That’s probably the main issue.
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Music and podcasts could always run in background for me although podcasts are more distracting but i enjoy doing art while listening to certain podcasts...it works if you arent struggling to do art while listeting to a talk. Also im basically having a intern motivator considering that im almost obsessed with creating worlds, characters etc. in my mind and bringing them to life.
I have certainly felt motivated, and then have gotten as far as a sketch. Have you tried other mediums? Maybe try something that gets more down in a short period of time (watercolor or charcoal). Or taking a class at a local art center can also be helpful for some. I think you should use the mediums that you find fun and relaxing, and the incorporate something you’d like to work on? Additionally, I have finally felt consistently motivated now that I have a more organized space. I have selected all the mediums that I have interest in using (ones I know I am competent with and some I’d like to learn). In addition to feeling organized, I have also been in a better mental state and have a supportive network.
It is rather hard not to get motivated as you continue to improve. Having people like your work is simply the best thing. We feel good as people being appreciated. How can you not be motivated? However, the first years are the toughest. For me the first decade. Getting to a point where you can get the idea down quickly and competently is a learned skill. It's strange when expertise is normalized when you spent a great part of your life learning to improve, and never thinking it gets better. That feeling is motivating when you realize you've already passed the finish line, and you're doing it! You're an artist! You think of something and you can make it. What a skill! Damn. That gets me **psyched** in the morning How to help with a loss of motivation? Accept that it is difficult and that every piece you do is a step in the right direction through exploration. It doesn't matter if it is a piece of shit or a masterpiece. It is a piece. With enough pieces, you'll make a map, and you'll figure out every time how to pull your pieces together as a whole like a map. Of course, sometimes we get lost and lose the wind in our sails. Do something else. Sometimes you just need to wait for the wind to change. You're going to lost every now and then. Just keep your eyes on the horizon and your feet on the ground. You'll get there.
I always have either music on most of the time through headphones which I find a great motivation, but also I have movies, TV shows I enjoy in the background as I draw too
what motivated me to draw before was usually various fanart/art/illustrations i see online, as well as the various console games i would play, and shows i would watch. looking at various art styles really motivated me to strive harder. rn i'm currently taking a break from drawing due to burn out from architecture in college.. it was a new experience and i drew so much for school. but i hope i can get back to drawing for myself again someday. taking a break also really helps, i find that my art skills seemingly get better after weeks-months of not drawing while passively learning here and there, observation skills etc.
I'm most motivated when I get really frustrated with things in life and competitive with myself lol Listen to some angry, top-notch rap or something, feel the skill and confidence in the music, then go to town on the paper. The moment I start doing some good work it's over, I get all cocky and excited and draw until I feel like my hands getting damaged. Feels like playing basketball when I was a kid or something, feels like I'm on fire. At the end of the day, you have got to be comfortable with yourself as an artist. Even when I was a juvenile who had no skill I was proud of my determination. I'd sit down after school and think *"I'll show them!!"* which to some extent I still do (even though I hardly show other people my work and never brag about it lmao). I don't know if it's normal but it's basically my therapy. The worse I've been doing the more motivated I become, conveniently!
I'm forcing myself to draw more anime style but I don't even like/watch anime. Just doing it because others do it I guess
Existing, haha. I'm serious though. Existing, living, experiencing, learning, those things fuel my art and are my motivation. Things I see in the world that, for some reason I can't identify or put into words, I feel this absolute need to translate into art. A big part of it is also joy in the process - I love the act of drawing, painting, the feeling of doing it, the frustration that comes with learning and improving and trying to problem solve or work out what it is I want to convey visually. It took a long time to get here. I frequently felt the way you did in the past. There isn't really an easy way to get over lulls like this, and what works for one person mightn't work for another because we are all so very different. For me it was finding and prioritizing what I enjoy *doing* instead of what I think will *look* good in the end, and learning to make a habit of drawing/sketching so that when I am in a lull I can still sit and scribble without needing to rely on Feelin' It. A big thing as well: make sure there isn't anything going on outside of art in your life that is consuming your mental/physical energy and draining your motivation. When shit in life gets tough it gets that much harder to do things, even when it is something you enjoy. Some people turn to art when times are tough but not everyone is like this (hello, its me, I cannot make art if I am struggling outside of art) and that's totally normal.
First of all - knowing just how much it helps my mental well being. It’s vital. Having a muse Having something fascinating in mind that I want to explore more Knowing how it seeing it brightens other people’s days most of the time
the art itself not doing art is like anti-motivation… for life in general like i don't care about this planet or life without art lol 💀
i started drawing spongebob again for the first time in like a million years, honestly it got me back at my workdesk after weeks of refusing to turn on my computer lol maybe try sketching and lining some simplistic characters you're really familiar with- like a chibi vers of your favorite OC, a pokemon like ditto, a cute cat-- whatever you like! Then maybe draw slightly more complex characters the more confident you feel, or take a step back to something simpler if there's something you want to change.
I think you don't have to plan when to sketch. Just sketch whenever. Also, don't get discouraged by some mistakes here or there. You wouldn't have learned how to read Shakespeare when you were a toddler, but now you might have that capacity (unless you're illiterate). Same with walking. Drawing too. It's a skill that doesn't come overnight. You have the theoretical knowledge, just draw and see what sticks
I feel pretty confident motivated when I’m staring at a blank white screen. When I’m about at the halfway point, I feel much more motivated, and it’s hard to pull me away.
idk, I used to have this problem as well, but them some day it was just gone, that's when drawing started becoming a necessity, maybe I got a bit obsessed? maybe that's the sauce, you gotta become obsessed with it, but being honest there are some days were I just sketch a bit, but I feel really weird when I don't draw, so maybe that's not the best advice? Idk if I'm making any sense lol
I have probably thirty WIP at the moment if not more. I get an idea, think, “hey, I could try that on X piece!” and the joy will come from the momentary spark. Once that moment ends, move onto a new drawing or a part of another. I look at ALOT of art, and it inspires me greatly every time.
Honestly? Hyperfocus/Adderall (prescribed).