Being creative can be scary - whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned professional. We often get lost in our own perfectionism and expectations, rather than focusing on why we create in the first place: for fun! Today I'll share my thoughts, tips, and suggestions for drawing loosely, letting go of fear, and encouraging your creativity to thrive. I'll also be sharing some exercises that you can do whenever you're feeling artistically stuck. I hope you enjoy reading, and please let me know if you found any of these tips helpful!

What is fear in art and where does it come from?

Fear in art often stems from the fear of failure. Of creating an ugly image, of disappointing people, of showing that you’re not a good artist. To eliminate this fear, you must change your thought process and approach to creativity. 

How to change your mindset

Ask yourself, what’s the worst thing that could happen if you create an ‘ugly’ image?

 

The world isn't going to end, people aren't going to throw tomatoes and shout 'shame' at you as you walk down the street, nor are you barred from ever creating again. In most cases, no one is even around to see it.

If you create an 'ugly' image, you can keep trying until you make something you like more, or move on to something else. If you really hate it, you can throw it away or cover it up - you don't need to keep artwork around that you aren't happy with.

Remember why you started creating in the first place. For a lot of us, making things brings us happiness, calm, and a sense of purpose. Keep this at the forefront of your mind when you feel unsure or afraid.

Don’t set out to create art for others or to share (unless you're creating work for a client, of course). The best approach is to create art for yourself, with no intentions of sharing, and only going on to share when you’ve finished it and are comfortable doing so.

Avoid comparing yourself to others - I know this is hard! Even if it’s just limiting the time that you spend looking at art on social media, any small action like this can really improve your outlook.

Draw with others, often their positivity and encouragement can be all that you need!

Continue to experiment and learn throughout your entire practice. This can spark new ideas and provide invaluable knowledge that can only benefit you. The best creatives continue to evolve and develop throughout their careers - the only other option is stagnation.

Embrace other creative pursuits - if you’re feeling a strong urge to knit a jumper, do it! You never know how it may feed into your practice or improve your outlook.

 

Try to be creative as often as you can. For some, this could be once a week, for others, it might be every day. Once you make it a regular occurrence in your life, you’ll start to treat it in a healthy way - more of a habit and less of a precious activity.

 

Write yourself a little positive note. This could be a collection of compliments that you’ve received from others or just from yourself. Write it all down, make it bold, make it colourful, and stick it right in the centre of your workspace. Mine is at eye level from my desk and it really does help when I feel low.

Healthy drawing habits & how to practice them

Keeping a messy sketchbook

Get a 'low-pressure' sketchbook, in whatever way 'low-pressure' looks for you. It could be a really small sketchbook, a thin paperback sketchbook, a sketchbook you've made yourself, one you've already started and given up on, a really cheap sketchbook, or even a folder with loose sheets of paper. Use it to serve as a safe place for experimentation, trying out new ideas, developing skills, and doodling. This is a place just for you and you don’t need to show anyone.

Use the first page to write some notes to yourself. This could be, “This is a safe place. This is for experimentation and having fun. The finished result doesn’t matter.”

Draw in it regularly, preferably at least once a week.

Draw from observation. Draw on your commute or whilst you’re waiting for the GP. Visit places to draw like parks and beaches.

Use is to warm up before going into a project or illustration.

Experiment with materials. Make lots of different marks and textures with every material that you have.

If you struggle to start drawing on a blank page, go through each page and ‘prepare’ them. This can be done by collaging on top, laying down paint and colour, tearing some of the paper off, staining it with coffee, etc. This will break up the pristine white surface and give you an interesting background to work on top of.

Make notes after you’ve finished drawing - identify what you like, what you’d change next time, and what you’ve learnt. 

 

Artist dates & drawing trips

Artist dates are dates with your artistic self. They are low-pressure time solely for feeding your creativity without guidelines or expectations. These can be museum visits, workshops, drawing on location, joining online drawing sessions, and more. If you'd like to learn more about artist dates, make sure to read our blog post, 24 Seasonal Artist's Date Ideas to Unlock Your Creativity.

Consider going on a drawing trip. This could be a weekend away in a different place, travelling to see family or friends, or a day out. Give yourself a goal of filling a sketchbook page a day and see what comes of it - a change of scenery often inspires new ideas and distracts from overthinking.

Exercises to loosen up & draw without fear

 

Automatic drawing by Salvador Dali

 

Automatic drawing

Automatic drawing is a meditative drawing technique where the artist suppresses all thoughts and conscious control whilst drawing. The aim is to draw mindlessly, often leading to pages of completely random shapes and lines. This method is used by many artists past and present, most notably Moebius, early 20th-century Dadaists, and some surrealist painters. This technique can help immensely when trying to loosen up and let go of fear.

 

Austin Osman Spare, Automatic Drawing, detail.

Mark Making

Grab every and all artistic tools in your possession and fill a page with marks. Play around with the variety of marks you can get with each tool (there are so many ways to hold a pencil that you can explore) and see how different materials layer together. Not only is this a great way to loosen up but it also allows you to make discoveries that you may not have necessarily found otherwise. You might even find a new tool or process that could completely transform your work!

 

Other Drawing Exercises to Try

• Continuous line drawing
• Blind contour drawing
• Non-dominant hand drawing
• Using negative space
• Drawing under time restrictions
• Using unique and alternative mediums
• Drawing without lines, only shapes and blocks of colour
• Blocking random shapes and turning them into illustrations
• Drawing upside down
• Drawing in the dark

Thanks for reading! I hope you've finished this blog post feeling more confident and able to beat perfectionism and creative fear when it hits. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and if you have any tips of your own to share.

I hope you have a wonderful day full of joy, inspiration, and colour!
- Morgan