any tips on how to get back into drawing? I used to really enjoy it but felt like I got too busy my last year of undergrad + grad school. I just can't seem to motivate myself back into it
Ah that’s a tough one. I’ve fallen off the art wagon several times - I suspect most artists do at one point or another. I’m gonna start this with some broad philosophy which is mostly a callout post to myself, and then follow up with some actual things I do.
The most important step in making art is making art.
Sometimes you just have to sit down and do it, which sounds like terrible advice (and kind of is) but waiting for the right moment is just going to result in more waiting. Figure out why you’re waiting. Are you just having trouble finding something you’re interested in, or are you actively holding yourself back with arbitrary rules and negative thoughts?
If you’re telling yourself “I must produce a finished piece/something worthy of posting” or “I’ll just mess it up and get frustrated if I don’t have A Perfect Idea” or “when I’m ready I’ll be able to sit down and draw, so I’m just not ready”…destroy that. Your paper is not sacred, there are no rules to worry about breaking. The goal is to just do it. The passion, the habit, the grand ideas? They can be found later, once you brush all the dust off.
Do not sit and wait for inspiration; you can look for it while you’re moving.
As for what to actually try…Your mileage may vary on this but when I hit a block or a dry spell, I usually go to one of the following:
1. Fan art. Sometimes it’s easier to sit down and draw if you give yourself a set of parameters that involve something you already care about. It takes away some of the burden of design and decision-making.
2. Retail therapy. Treat yourself to a new pencil or something. I say pencil because new sketchbooks intimidate me - I feel like I need to christen them with something amazing, which is just me getting in my own way again - but pencils are toys to be played with.
3. Draw dumb shit. Comic about your cat being a jerk. Viking octopus. Wizard mouse. Houseplant on your desk, but keep drawing leaves until there’s no empty paper. Just doodle and make mistakes and know that none of it matters because this is just a weird little drawing but hey you actually really liked doing that octopus so let’s go draw another octopus and eventually we’re back into the swing of things.
And lastly, just make it easy for yourself - whatever that means for you. Maybe that means you put on a one-hour podcast or bring your sketchbook to breakfast and that’s your drawing time. Maybe it means you block social media for the afternoon to kill distractions. Let yourself make bad art and get frustrated and go back anyway, because even failures will brush the rust off. Just start somewhere.
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