In recent weeks, I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the Artist Spotlight articles that I’ve been able to release. Even in a time crunch, I managed to put together two articles that I’m very proud of — they are both dynamic and dense in content. I think this is a result of exposure; I’ve been fortunate enough to visit a variety of art galleries, installations, and sculpture gardens in the past year, so I’ve had plenty of material for articles since March. Outside of visiting exhibits, I frequent different art sites online in search of new mediums, genres, and artists to cover. Unfortunately, none of this preparation was enough. I searched online for quite some time, trying to find an artist I was genuinely passionate about covering this week, but without success. I decided, instead, to talk about finding inspiration, specifically in times of creative decline.
I’ve never really talked about my background as a creative because the focus of the Artist Spotlight column has strictly been on the artists I’m covering, their upbringing in the art world, and the influence they’ve had on their medium and other artists within their primary genre. I was exposed to art from a young age — enrolled in classes, visiting museums, and doing my own doodles at home with whatever material I could find. For a while, I even thought I wanted to go to school for art or graphic design, but in hindsight, I’m glad I decided to pursue engineering. For me personally, art has always been a great complement to my professional endeavors — it keeps me focused, creative, and gives me an emotional outlet. Art is also a great way to briefly disconnect from reality and zone in on a particular thought, image, or emotion you’ve been holding onto. But what happens when the well runs dry?
Put simply, nothing good. I’m not saying that every thought you have should inspire your art — it certainly hasn’t for me. Sometimes I just want to sit there and doodle mindlessly. However, it can be really frustrating when you truly want to create something unique but feel distracted, uninspired, or impatient. Throughout the years, I’ve gone through intense phases of withdrawal from creating art. At one point, I entirely quit using physical mediums because I honestly hated how often I would make mistakes or dislike the finished product. Looking back on it, that was all part of the process. Once I got an iPad for school and switched over to a digital format, it was like I was unstoppable — I could fix every minute mistake, experiment with different materials constantly, and truly explore my interests as an artist. In this time, I got better at illustration, frequently fusing dynamic poses, vibrant colors, and even contemporary symbolism into a lot of my work. However, in truth, the digital format didn’t pull me out of the creative drought: my interests did.
For a while, films inspired a lot of my art — I remember fusing Freddy Krueger and Clint Eastwood’s character from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Eventually, my interests transitioned into fashion, and I would draw characters in my own designs inspired by the likes of Onitsuka Tiger, Gentle Monster, Adidas, and more. When I needed visual inspiration, I’d frequent Pinterest or other websites in search of unique imagery and aesthetic. At one point, I really enjoyed Surrealism, so I put my own contemporary twist on it and started drawing dystopian imagery into landscape photos I’d taken. More recently, I’ve turned to music to accelerate my creative process. I’ve been listening to a lot of neo-soul, soft grunge, indie electronic, and. It’s definitely inspired my artistic direction; presently, I pull on inspiration from the sound of bands like M83, The Naked and Famous, and Basement.
Finding an effective creative process is an evolving challenge, but letting your interests guide your work (both in and outside the art world) can generate pathways for new ideas. Most importantly, try to recognize when you need a change of pace and don’t doubt yourself for it. Reflect inward, discover your passions, and act on them.
