Well, you should better have a think about it. This very nice compliment means you actually believe that to create is magic. It surely sounds good at first, but it's a common and especially limiting belief.
Follow me and watch out. Here is the key to getting motivated again in order to paint, draw, in general create.
How does affect you believing it's magic?
- You study Art or You are an Art Lover. In your case, you'll completely lose the motivation to study, improve or practice. Do the following phrases sound familiar to you? "In the end it's magic, it's not worthy to make any effort" or "That's too hard for me, I'm never going to make it!"...
- You're artist, singer, musician, poet, actor, any kind of creative people.In your case, you'll believe creativity depends on the right day, instead; or that you'll need to rely on smoking and drinking to find inspiration; and above all, it's the same if you work or get a drink: "In the end, it's my way of creating".
- Pensi che fai schifo a disegnare e sei negato. Non sei l’unico, spesso pur facendo meraviglie un artista pensa lo stesso, ne ho conosciuti tanti! In questo caso, pensare che creare è magia ti farà credere che non sei creativo, avrai il rifiuto a disegnare perché ti vergogni o ti fa rabbia non esserne capace, e beh “se lo faccio mi esce terribile, no grazie”.
Everyone indeed finds their own inspiration and strategy; however, on the long term it's also normal that you'll need to find the motivation again. As well as it's normal that you don't wake up every morning with a new idea to write a song or to draw.
In the first cases, you are initially full of ideas to draw and write, but suddenly puff! Your brain feels empty and fears the blank page! So how do you get back on the track and find the motivation again?
Strategies to motivate again and enjoy doing things
As previously mentioned, motivational lack is completely human and normal, Even if you "were born an artist".
So, before anything else, let's work on this first limiting belief of the constant need for productivity, and most of all the self-demanding excess: yes, you can be an artist and wake up one morning with no ideas, it can happen and that's okay, breath! And if you think you're useless at drawing, why don't you try anyway? Remember that the result doesn't matter, the important thing is that you like it and feel good.
Moreover, you can be creative even without being an artist: creativity applies to infinite other fields in everyday life.
The second step to motivate again is understanding that to create can be magical, but it's not magic. This great difference is fundamental since it's going to be your pillar, your handhold, at any doubtful, depressed and demotivated time of "I can't do it", "I'm too tired, "I can't decide anything" - from what to eat to what to create.
Then, what is the secret to create? Action. Trying and trying harder.
To my students I always say that creativity is like a plant: you need to water it constantly and take care of it every day. Maybe it helps being predisposed, but that's not enough to find motivation or inspiration.
Practical suggestions to find the motivation again
- Forget about the phone and face that feeling of not knowing;
- Write at least 30 words, the first that comes to your mind (names, verbs, things, people, food...);
- Change, go out of your comfort zone, visit new places and meet different people ;
The phone and internet are very comfortable, both for finding inspiration and forgetting it in your infinite favourites folder: you get too stimulated but at the same time you lose attention and energy. It becomes even better to avoid and postpone stuff you don't like - especially getting tired and facing inconvinient emotions such as feeling unable and learning something new.
You can think you don't like anything in particular or: "I don't think I'm lazy, there's something more behind I can't recognise, but I'm never motivated". It can happen, especially during stressful periods and hard contexts - in this case, psychological help could support you in understanding where it comes from. In the meantime, you can start with this super-easy exercise and write a series of words. Even though you don't know what you like, there will surely be things you don't like at all, and this is an equally important orientation. Once you do it, you'll discover that in reality there actually is a connection among all those words. This is very nice exercise to find inspiration in music, painting, and any other discipline.
To conclude, changing the environment and people around you helps you to get new ideas, and see new solutions and new perspectives which you can't even imagine now. You can find new inspiration, even in your city or neighbourhood. In the end, you find the motivation where you can be yourself, where you feel free to express yourself.
