Feeling Defeated

Burnout is real. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting (on top of already being exhausted). You’re a creative. Your heart sings when you’re using your artistic skills. You sit down and you’re intimidated by a blank page or canvas. Nothing pops into your mind. Even when surrounded by all of your favorite supplies.

Now is the time to reconnect with those supplies. I know I need to go back to the basics when I’m feeling this way. Going back to square one, for me, is like a reset. It takes the pressure off of me of doing my next big masterpiece. I have to remind myself that there’s a lot of basic art or art that you don’t favor in between masterpieces. That sometimes those little pieces become a part of something bigger and better.

Burnout Busters

When I can’t decide what to do, these are five experiments I like to try. Even if I don’t come up with any new ideas, I am still capable of doing something creative and artistic. It allows me to unwind and get the creative energy flowing.

1. Doodling- try making shapes and fill them with shapes and patterns
2. Watercolor Blobs- a wet on wet watercolor technique
   Bonus: use a fineliner pen to make shapes or an image from the blobs
3. Swatching- rekindle your relationship with your art supplies by making swatch cards
4. Coloring Books- sure, you can old school color, but try adding shading or other mixed media elements
5. Art Prompts- mini assignments that can be literal or interpreted, use your imagination

Discovery Station

Burnout is the first topic I’m approaching as Samantha’s Art Lab. It’s a topic I’ve been dealing with myself for a while. Check out my video that walks you through these experiments. Also, if you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get a FREE Guide to Beating Burnout. This guide assesses your burnout level. It gives you detailed steps that were reviewed in the video. Additionally, it includes mini activities right in the PDF that you can try right away. Let’s beat burnout together!