Sometimes I don’t feel like drawing.
It’s not burnout because I haven’t worked long enough to feel drained. It’s not laziness because I’m always creating in some way. I think it’s avoidance. (But what am I avoiding?)
In these moments I don’t pick up a pencil or plug in my tablet to illustrate anything. I talk myself out of drawing by saying “It’s gonna be ugly anyway. You wanna waste time making something ugly?” I’ve made pretty pictures before, but when I feel this way it doesn’t matter.
I immerse myself in the online art community. I look at other artists for inspiration. Maybe seeing someone else creating will spark something in me. But as I watch art videos or scroll through online portfolios, in the back of my mind a nagging voice says “Shouldn’t you be drawing?”
I distract myself with video editing or logo design commissions. I do a little embroidery. I’m being productive, right? But then the nagging voice says “Aren’t you an illustrator? Shouldn’t you be drawing?”
Ignoring this feeling doesn’t work. Distracting myself with other things doesn’t work. It just makes me feel worse.
So how do I get over it? I draw.
I draw random scribbles. I draw an ugly doodle. I draw in my sketchbook or on printer paper. Sometimes I even draw in pen. I let myself make mistakes. It feels good to draw something after a long time of drawing nothing.
So if you find yourself in the same rut as me, my advice is to just draw. Draw something. It won’t be perfect but it’s better than nothing.