#I have artblock and I’m incredibly depressed about it

[mc-chicken]

Tansyclan founders and moons 1-4

[flippedorbit]

i’m gonna be so for real, if things don’t start changing for me in good ways i will be disappearing off the face of the earth

[gemennair]

Good morning!! I had question for you. As an artist with depression I often struggle with feeling excited and motivated to draw. Do you have any tips on how to stay enthusiastic about drawing? ❤️

Oh that's a very hard question cause you and me both, op. Regaining enthusiasm and excitement about anything is incredibly difficult especially if your mind is riddled with doubt, self-loathing and worst of all, by my experience, emptiness. It depends on the person, but I will try my best and tell you the things that worked for me that I hope will be able to help you regain your passion and enthusiasm for making art.

First, I want you to remember that drawing or making art is always about expressing yourself, learning to come into terms with who you are, learning to make that part of you shine upon the canvas. Art is not against you, it's with you, even if it doesn't feel that way at times. Treat it like a friend you can go back to when the world is crumbling. Treat it like a nice cup of cold beverage in a particularly hot afternoon, or a warm hearth in the middle of a cold winter. So when you're feeling incredibly sad, incredibly happy, or just a vast gaping feeling of emptiness, just try, try and draw something. Go back to it when you can. You're a creative person, you're an artist, and even if you feel like any creativity is zapped from you, still, draw. Just anything that makes you happy. Or just anything. Remember that you're doing this for yourself first. This can be your way of coping if you want. Maybe you could draw a little tree, a pond with ducks, or anything else. Just draw something for yourself. That's the important thing. Learn to love what you're doing first because you're the first audience of your artwork, and you should appreciate it and be enthusiastic with it no matter what the little voice on your head is telling you. You worked on it. You exerted effort on it. Therefore, no matter what, it has value. You have brought forth something on a blank space, a scribble, a nice little flower. That wasn't there before. Now it exists because of you. Isn't that wonderful? Try and remind yourself of this after drawing even if you're dissatisfied with the final result.

Art, for me, for a while back then has been my way of escape. Drawing things and conceptualizing them gives my mind a lot to think about to the point that it has no room for any other sort of thoughts, including negative ones. Usually, all the negativity comes after. But when I'm drawing, usually, i'm just there, not particularly enjoying it in the bad times, but very enthusiastic about it during the happy times. But making art is still there. It's just like your favorite book that you can go back to when all else has gone to dissarray.

In the subject of depression, it gets more complicated, I think. Since you lose passion for everything, and you may require outside things to help you regain that passion again. This also applies to artblock too. And when you find yourself not having the energy to draw, even if you want to, even if you're forcing yourself to, let yourself walk around and take a break. That's okay. Breaks are important, too. Maybe around this time, Art is your friend, but it also may feel like a childhood friend you drifted away from, and you need other factors too to help you interact with it again. So, listen to music, watch a movie, hang out with friends, empty your thoughts and have some time for yourself. Trust me when I say that eventually, you'll feel the urge to make art again, even after a long while. Maybe it's going to be a show which you loved so much that made you want to draw again, made you want to go back to that friend and talk to him or her bout it, and in this case, that friend is Art. Inspiration and motivation comes in all forms, sometimes you need to be the one to find it so that you'll get it, other times, it instead finds you. It's fickle like that, and it gets troublesome, but the important thing is you're still making art, or you will eventually make art. Do this all in your own pace. Don't feel pressured by other people around you who are producing art everyday.

This is where comparisons come in. Each one of us has something to offer since each one of us is a unique individual. You have something to offer just as much as the artist you're looking up to; you have your ideas that you want to share to the world, and they have theirs. When you find yourself feeling inferior, or feeling like you could never improve, take a step back and remind yourself of the fact that what you're doing has value, too, like I said earlier. Art takes time, improvement takes time, and do your best to stop yourself from comparing your works negatively from other artists' works. Doing that will lessen your enthusiasm because you'll find yourself thinking, "What else can I offer when other people has such amazing works like these?" No, darling, stop. Breath, take a step back, remind yourself: you have something to offer. Your work has value. Don't compare yourself to other people who has already gone far ahead. You're on your own road, do it on your own pace. Be kinder to yourself.

Now, for more technical things, you should also work hard to keep yourself inspired. You found that you like drawing a lot more now, you also found something that will help you keep drawing, now you need to keep going. Gather a collection of things that inspire you. That youtube video or a particular show that made you well up in tears? Bookmark it. Heard a speech that made you feel like you want to achieve something? Put it on your notes. Heard a song or a whole playlist that you can imagine drawing something for? Save it on your phone. It's the little things that help. I swear, it's really the little things that you can go back to. It doesn't even need to be connected to drawing. Just things that inspire you or make you happy. Your creative and artistic side will follow up upon that later. Jot down your ideas that pops up on your mind, and draw them for later. Great ideas usually pop up when you least expect it. Encourage yourself to try and draw every other day, or thrice a week, depending on how long you take to draw. People say that you should draw everyday to improve better, but I found it doesn't really work for me because the burnout gets here faster. My hands can't keep up with the influx of ideas, so I get frustrated. If it's the same for you, take your time to rest. Maybe the drawing-everyday may help you more than it did me. Try it out; experiment a lot. Remember, you're doing this to encourage yourself to draw more but don't push it to an extent that you'll find yourself burnt out. You're only starting out, and I'm the same too, maybe someday I could do the everyday drawings, but not now. Every little step counts, but do it on your own pace.

And lastly, when everything is said and done, when you're ready to post your artwork, or actually not even post it and you just want to see what you have created, pat yourself on the back. Know that someone somewhere will appreciate it as much as you did, because it's true. You may not think so now, but I can tell you that it is true. Also, look at it as a learning process. What about this particular piece that made you happy, what part of it bothers you? Use the answers you conjured for your next artwork. Every artwork is a step forward on making a better one. Remind yourself of that whenever you feel dissatisfied. And if you're comfortable, ask for help or criticism from others, too. Show your work to the world, be proud of it. You did this, and you created something that wasn't there before.

It's different for everyone, but I do hope you found something here that may help you. I want to thank everyone around here too because they made me learn a lot of things and to also be kinder to myself. And I want to tell all of that back to you too. I hope you regain your passion, and i'm looking forward to see your works. I may not know which one it's going to be, but I know that behind every artist, there's someone behind the screen like you, too. And I appreciate each one of your efforts and the love you put into creating, and how happy I am that one more artist in the world is doing their best to make it a better place with their art.

I'll end this with a suggestion for you; whenever I'm feeling exceptionally down in the dumps, I read Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art speech. If you haven't read or listened to it, please try and do so. It's an incredible speech and I always feel like I want to create everytime I read it. I hope it will inspire you too. All the best of wishes to you, anon. ❤