Inspiring Inspiration: Artist Block
polycounter lvl 10
Hey guys,
So had a thought, as an artist who frequently gets a creative block. I was wondering if we could perhaps make a singular thread where artists can post their methods of ridding the world of this terrible disease of Artist's Block.
Another good idea would be to post a link to your inspiration folder if it's on Dropbox.
Anyone would like to start? - Sythen.
So had a thought, as an artist who frequently gets a creative block. I was wondering if we could perhaps make a singular thread where artists can post their methods of ridding the world of this terrible disease of Artist's Block.
Another good idea would be to post a link to your inspiration folder if it's on Dropbox.
Anyone would like to start? - Sythen.
Replies
Also there is a dropbox file of all craig Mullins paintings ever done, i will try to find it and ill link it once i do
EDIT-
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bhrztlbn98c5ayt/S8I9-fflXG
Found it man ! enjoy
I really hate looking at other people's work for inspiration. I usually end up thinking too much along their art and losing the creativity of my own. And if I do that, I have to wait some days so I forget enough of what I've see so I can fill in the gaps with my own ideas.
Thats some inception shit - we've reached another level of depth.
Sythen have you ever tried just making stuff / exploring art when your suffering from said 'block'?
My brain must be wired differently because I don't think reaching a point where I literally can't do anything has ever happened to me. Are you tired? Burnt out? Frustrated at your skill level? Frustrated at the progress of the people your comparing yourself too? What actually is the problem or how do you feel when your 'blocked'.
I ask because I'm not sure if the words " I have artists block " are just another way of saying, 'I legitimately need to take a break from this' in which case that sounds like a symptom of working hard and what these guys above have said is good advice.
Or is it something completely different alltogether. Enlighten us if you care to.
Or maybe you are just tired and need a break; in which case, do stuff you really enjoy for a week, then come back to it.
I remember a while ago where a thread like this would pop up every so often. Browsing those might help out too.
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112451&
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107742&
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102042&
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87748&
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1402355
yah dude i try to avoid hipsters completely. the coffee shops *i* go to are so indie you probably never heard of them.
but in all srsness if you feel like you "cant get inspired" then you just arent looking at things deeply
This. I often times feel as if I've just run out of ideas, but that's rarely the case. It's just that my skill level isn't where I want it to be, so I can't always translate my ideas into the program I'm using. I also tend to compare myself to others on here, and its hard not to let that affect you negatively. I'm only speaking from experience so what you're dealing with may come from a different place, but I find that the more I just work and make stuff, even if I end up throwing it out later, the less I feel "blocked."
I've also started buying up art books online, and flipping through those when I'm feeling stuck. The Halo 4 one is incredible, and I just recently got the Sparth art books, which are fantastic as well.
also learning new stuff can help, ie look through a a bunch of tutorials on you tube
looking at? you sure you didn't want to say inhaling?
Not sure if you were referring to me or the OP, but as far as where I was coming from. It is inspiring, but can also be intimidating. When I first graduated I was intimidated and disheartened by the quality I saw on here, and too often I told myself "I can't do that, I'll never be that good." Now though, the more time I've spent on PC, and working on my own projects, my confidence has started creeping up, and I do get inspired by other artists, and it's no longer "I'll never be that good", it's "I'm not there yet, but I will be." Not sure if others have had that feeling but that's what I meant.
-surround yourself in awesome, seriously every site i visit bombards me with awesome art. i`d feel bad if i didn`t create anything
- do fan art, if you really dont have the inspiration to create something from scratch try doing your own thing with existing ips you like
@Hazardous:
Inspire-ception.
Life is pretty complicated, but I usually never had an issue of separating life from my art. Along with losing 9 years of a portfolio, I've been trying to get inspired to develop again.
My issue is that for the last 7 months I've not been inspired to develop anything, and have become somewhat scared of 3Ds Max and Photoshop. I've been trying to develop and have been given projects to do. But I can't create anything more than your typical box levels and objects with easy geometry.
I've tried looking through inspiration folders, but I've not seen anything that's made me go. Oh, I want to make that - It's awesome.
I suppose yes, my issue is a little bit more elaborate. But since I was 9 years old, I knew that this was what I wanted to do, this is my life - and for the last 8 months I've not been able to open the software.
- Sythen.
and more importantly:
(a rare occasion where I totally agree with Blaizer)
I'll be honest, I hate these types of threads and for some reason feel compelled to say it every time one pops up. I think your intentions might be good, but this is really just a cry for help with no realistic solution. It's like asking someone what makes them happy to find out what makes you happy. Without getting into a giant rant, which I'm prone to do, motivation/inspiration/creativity is a personal thing. It's what makes you an artist. No suggestion that anyone makes will determine whether or not you can sit down and make something well. That's just not how it works, you need to do it on your own.
And beyond that, no offense to those who posted, but it's always the same sort of thing:
-Exercise
-Read books
-play games
-go out with friends
-take a step back and relax
-looking at different artists
-watch movies
etc.
Seriously? if you can't figure out that "looking at art" may be a good idea, as an artist, you may have a bigger problem than just not being inspired.
I just don't understand it. I've never felt this way in the 10+ years I've been learning game stuff. If anything, I've skipped from one idea to the next and just not finished anything - but never a loss of inspiration. I don't think it's a lack of inspiration (to poorly quote Louis CK, "the mind goes forever inwards"), like what Haz is saying, I think there is a more solid reason why you are feeling this way - and it's nothing that a link on a website, or a suggestion from some clown on a game art forum will tell you.
Here's some advice from Neil Gaiman (because art block and writer's block are the same thing in my opinion):
"The other thing that I would say about writer's block is that it can be very, very subjective. By which I mean, you can have one of those days when you sit down and every word is crap. It is awful. You cannot understand how or why you are writing, what gave you the illusion or delusion that you would every have anything to say that anybody would ever want to listen to. You're not quite sure why you're wasting your time. And if there is one thing you're sure of, it's that everything that is being written that day is rubbish. I would also note that on those days (especially if deadlines and things are involved) is that I keep writing. The following day, when I actually come to look at what has been written, I will usually look at what I did the day before, and think, "That's not quite as bad as I remember. All I need to do is delete that line and move that sentence around and its fairly usable. It's not that bad."
As an added bonus, you can sell or stock pile your "artist's block" for later use. Will I ever need a photo-realistic model of rolled nickels? No idea, but I've got one!
OP I recommend just maybe reducing the intensity of your feelings towards game art. I think the attitude of 'oh god I have to do this, I've wanted to do this my whole life' could be playing a part in your apprehension. Just relax, work another job, get away from the computer screen as much as possible, play some games from genres you wouldn't normally be into, etc.
Also consider just following some tutorials online. The subject is typically set, so there's no 'hmm, maybe I'll do this...or this', and you'll pick up some new workflows, most likely. Win win.
You're not alone in this and it doesn't mean there is something wrong with you. It hits all of us to some degree.
I see your nickels and raise you a normal mapped low-poly coffee bean!!! :poly124:
Disregarding all of these comments of course, I've decided a good night's sleep (which I've not had in a while in all honesty), playing a few games I enjoy the hell out of, and looking up some tutorials was the best way to go.
Time to start =]
- Sythen.
As for the being intimidated by other artists, I think it's best to look at it like a friendly rivalry. I see stuff from haz, kolby, grassetti etc. and I think bloody hell that's good but I also think my next model needs to be better than there's. that doesnt mean it is but it sets a quality bar. me and my brother have the same thing and its really funny. It's like an unspoken rivalry that's all in our heads haha.
Your issue may not be a creative one though. Best thing is to open up the software and get going. Once it's open and you are going , all that feeling will go away. I burnt out on a freelance job once and had the same where I didn't want to open it for a week but once I was back in it was fine
The smartest thing you could possibly do.
I have this occasionally and it can be just as bad for productivity due to indecision; for me anyway.
What I do when I am in this kind of phase is make a list in a .txt in my 'Work' folder and whenever I am feeling a little bit of block I open it up and remember all the cool stuff I thought of doing before.
Also Sythen, don't be afraid to change up; if your 3D is frustrating you, try some UI stuff, or handpainted stuff... it can all go in your 'folio at the end of the day.
I just imagined you doing that, it kinda helps!
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The most crippling block I seem to get is that there's some kind of anxiety attempting to do anything creative. That feeling when you want to draw but that blank page could not be more of a deterrent. I know that once I get into it I'll happily do it for a while but man that first hurdle is so hard to get over, especially when there's alternative activities like playing games, watching TV etc. That's a good point, give yourself less options: you'll be surprised what you can come up with when there's literally nothing better to do than your art.
I'm also hearing the negative encouragement some people are giving and ah well it's what they believe and it's up to you to believe that or not as well. I sit on the fence of giving up. The amount of times I wanted to start a thread announcing that I've had it and just want to slink away into the darkness. I didn't though, not because I had some kind of boost in confidence but simply because I know that polycount doesn't need another pity thread.
I don't know maybe I just "kind of" want to be game developer...
Anyway my uh, point is don't do that. Don't give up, work hard, remember that you can't just wait for inspiration and that anything artistic you do is a form of progress. Surround yourself with art you like, I like robots and animal people, got plenty of reference materials feels inspiring.