Your tea is brewed, the music is on and your desk is cleared. Finally, you can sit down to make some art. And then bam! Your mind goes blank, and you don't know where to start.
Well, I have a little hack for you, but let's just say it's an "idea for you" as I don't like the word hack.
Get out your journal or a blank sheet of paper. Then think of your favorite color - mine is usually some variation of blue, leaning towards turquoise. And look for art supplies in that color. It doesn't matter what you pick.
This is a monotone color exercise (a monochromatic color palette is made up of different tints or shades of a single color). So all the shades of your favorite color are fine!
I use my Rangers Dylusions Journal because the paper is thick enough to handle any wet media.
The main goal of this creative exercise is to just PLAY (like a kid!), and not to think about what you are creating or the outcome, but just let your mind wander as you use the different supplies. Trust the process.
I grabbed watercolor pencils, Neo Color IIs, markers, pastels, paint pens, and a couple of paint brushes with some water.
Here is how I like to start;
Scribble in some lines with watercolor pencils
Use your paintbrush and add water to some of the lines
Color in with marker some of the shapes created with lines
(only in dry areas)
Play around with Neo Colors and make some familiar shapes
Do the same with soft pastels and oil pastels
Try using Paint Pens (so fun!)
Notice the different textures
Add collage bits in the same monotone palette
Keep on going until you have filled the page (this could be done in one session or a few, depending on your time).
Often it's not the whole page or journal spread that I love, but I find smaller areas with my croppers that leave me with enough inspiration to create another page or even a painting from what I see.
I had so much fun doing this that I created a second journal page for my FB Creative Community during one of our Lives. After the Live was over, I played around by adding some collage bits.
Creative blocks are common, and it happens to all of us and can be incredibly frustrating sometimes. But I hope these little exercises will help you break through to some creative joy in your practice!
Sending you lots of love + light!
xo
Andrea