Flow - Taking a break and getting the flow back

January 12, 2025 1 Comment

The past two years I’ve taken off at least a couple of weeks during the darkest days of the year. These days are for dreaming, rest and stories. They are days for reimagining our lives, resting and recuperating. At least, that’s what I have been using them for the last couple of years.

In January I normally take up non-painting tasks that I don’t do at other times of the year. I will update my website, plan projects, journal, rest. I teach Metis Studies starting in January where we learn how to bead. So, I spend more time than normal not painting. It’s a very useful time of year. It adds a lot to my life by diversifying my talents.

It is enormously helpful for me to take a break from painting. You see, I love painting. It makes me very happy. But sometimes I just need a different perspective. I need to look through new eyes and get fresh ideas. I can only do that when I take a break.

Last year I had a rather prolific year and yet I took most of the year off from painting to teach Metis Studies. That doesn’t mean that I will always be doing this, but it was a very useful lesson.

This year, I took about 3-4 weeks off of painting. I left my work in progress, a large commission, at the art gallery on Dec 18th and started my ‘holidays’.

Every time I take a couple weeks off, I feel the need to dust off the cobwebs. I can’t just jump back into my work. I need to work back into it. I need to get back into the flow.

When I make art, I am constantly searching to keep the flow of artistic energy flowing. That energy takes tending. It takes from you in a way that can be incredibly satisfying and fulfilling. However, it still takes energy, hence the break. Some might call this ‘art block’. Where you are unable to create for some reason or another. You may desire to create and you haven’t in awhile. Or you may desire to create but you have been pouring too much energy out and not filling it back up.

If you feel something like an art block, it’s helpful to identify the reason why you are feeling it. If you need a break, take it. You might need a break because your non-art life has been too much or you might need to live more life. You might need to clean your house, get physical activity, eat good food and spend time with friends. Or you might need alone time to create in. Alone time is necessary to also slowly find the flow. Twenty minutes of down time may not be enough for you to find your flow.

I have a busy life. I have a child, I teach and I do other things like shipping which are distinctly not painting. So, I have found ways to come back into the flow.

Here are some of my tricks to get the flow back:

Take the Pressure off - try making a whole bunch of art in a sketch book. Now, the whole point of this is to be no pressure. So, your sketch book could be just a stack of papers if that's what you need to take the pressure off. Make art with the expressed purpose of throwing it away or burning it. Just take the pressure off of yourself.
Painting on Photos - I have a whole stack of printed photographs that I simply paint over. Sometimes I play and do something silly, creative or playful. Other times I’m a bit more serious. Regardless, the point is to just relax and paint a bunch.
Try a new medium - I work in acrylic paintings, so I will experiment with watercolour. I just got some oil paints to practice with again. I will pick up my beads or some other way of making art. I'll pick up my tablet and put a painting in there and play with it. Just make art in a totally new way.
Be bad at something - Try something, not that you are just not good at, but you are actively bad at. Remember what it is to be a beginner. Practice with a beginner's mind and allow yourself to just be bad at something.
Make a whole bunch of art - Whatever you make, just make a shit tonne of it. Make 50 sketches. Make 25 paintings in 2 days. Make a whole bunch of small art that has NO purpose other than making it. It works to take the pressure off of each individual piece, but it also works to kick start your flow really fast. Bonus points if you get bored. On the other side of boredom is play.
Try a new pallette - If you're a painter like me, or otherwise work in colours, try a completely different colour set. If you work with Red, Yellow, Blue, White maybe try out Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Black.
Paint something upside down - Take your reference photo and flip it upside down. This is a great use if you seek realism in your work. It will make you see shapes in a different way.
Restrict your Brushstrokes - If you're a painter, try making a painting with only 100 brushstrokes. Count them. See how you can use your brushstrokes differently.
Paint on plywood - Sheets of sanded, high quality plywood can be cut down into smaller pieces giving you a huge stack of affordable surfaces to paint on. These pieces can be sanded down if you so choose. But, they can be a great way to take the pressure off when you're working.

There is something special about making a whole bunch of things with little attachment. It doesn’t mean every individual will be good. In fact, it is essential that not everything is good. BEING BAD IS A FUCKING GOOD THING (yes, I did yell that at you). Ahh as adults we are constantly in pursuit of perfection. Art is anything but perfection. Be bad at something because then you're trying something new, You're experimenting and pushing yourself. This is so good for your brain. It increases flexibility, creates new neural pathways and this is super useful for artists.

When you explore new territory it might not mean that you're going to be excellent at it. Check out my face after my first experience with Porcupine Quilling. I sucked. HAH! Everyone was super nice, but I know that I wasn't doing a good job. It doesn't matter, I did something new. It allows my brain to be more flexible, experiment and just stop being so rigid.

Sometimes just breaking through to a place where you try something new is worth it’s weight in gold. When you are super stuck in one point of view, your work can get a bit stale. It can feel uninspired. It stops connecting as strongly with your viewers and you begin to lose your passion for your work.

As artists, the ideal is to be the best person in your particular niche or box. While that may be really good for some artists, it is not for others. I am others. I CANNOT make myself do just one thing. I absolutely need to try different things in order to feel fulfilled. I have a box of caribou hair, printer ink, beads, oil paint, pastels, watercolour paint, charcoal. I have all these things I've either acquired or been gifted (yes, I am fortunate!) These things let me play and I think if you're like me, it's important you don't create your own box. Don't shove yourself in there. Let yourself play. If you need inspo - search Nerdforge on YouTube. She is one of our people.

So, take a break. Take a break now. Go suck at something. Then when you come back, try and fuck around and find out what else you can do.