Being creative is a trait shared by people in many career fields, not just artists or designers, but writers, web designers, even bloggers. Regardless of how creative you are, there are times when it seems we all “hit a wall.” What do you do when you hit a mental block? Do you try to push through it, thinking that those creative thoughts will come if you just keep trying, or do you step back, take a deep breath and clear your mind for a moment?

It’s easy to become overwhelmed, stressed, and unable to spark those creative ideas when you hit a mental block. However, while clearing those cobwebs out of your brain you can also boost creativity!

Here’s how to overcome a creative block:

1. Fill up on inspiration.

Just like an athlete needs to be hydrated before a race an artists or designer needs a good source of ‘inspirational nourishment’ before and during projects. Find, gather and hoard the things that inspire you. Bookmark your favorite inspiration websites, have good sources for visuals

2. Indulge your senses in music.

Music can motivate, stimulate, and help you develop a positive attitude. Some people are more efficient and better at concentrating when soothing music is playing in the background, and music has been proven to increase Serotonin (feel-good hormone) levels in the brain.

3. You need a schedule, and an office.

Creative types are often busy, and don’t think about developing their creative talents further. Feel like you never have enough time to create? Mixing work with family and everyday tasks just doesn’t work for many of us. Choose a time and place to create, and commit to it whether that space is a home office, or a corner in the living room. Set a scheduled time for work each day – when you think you will get to it later, life gets in the way and later never comes!

4. Consider whether your space lends to creativity.

Your environment has a huge impact on your creativity, and if it’s dusty, cluttered, or dark and depressing, it will affect how well your mind works, how your ideas flow. Surround yourself in your favorite colors; clear the clutter and organize. Include artwork, family photos, those comfortable things you love. You’ll be surprised at how creating an environment you’re happy in sparks new ideas. Create an art studio in your home – here’s how

5. Put technology aside – at least for a little while.

Laptops, tablets, cell phones – most of us are immersed in digital technology, and it can be a drain on your brain. You need downtime, which means time spent reading a book, doing something you love outdoors, time away from all of the technological gadgets at our fingertips today. The learning process is slowed when your brain is constantly “plugged in,” so give it a break!

6. Stress free doodling.

The repetition and thoughtlessness that goes along with doodling can help you get past the creative block. When your thinking too much and hit the creative block, decompress with mindless doodles. In addition, paying continuous attention places a strain on the brain, and doodling may be just the break your brain needs to keep attending without losing total interest. In fact, doodling will likely activate your brain’s “unfocus” circuits, give your “focus” circuits a break, and allow you to more creatively and tirelessly solve a problem at hand..

7. Don’t stay isolated.


If you’re like most artists or designers, you thrive on alone time and working independently. It’s actually very difficult to create and work on projects with interruptions and chaos. You need your own quite space. However this quite space can get lonely and you can feel isolated especially when your stuck and need some help. Connect to Facebook groups of like-minded people. Meet up in person for an ‘art date’.

8. Capture ideas in a sketchbook.


How a source besides the phone to capture your thoughts and ideas. Carry sketchbooks where ever you go!

9. Change your thinking.


Are you putting too much pressure on yourself? Expecting instant and perfect results without going through the process can lead to a creative block. You know how it is… the harder your try the worse it becomes. Mentally you pressure yourself, get frustrated and use all the creative energy fighting it. Take a step back, change your thinking. Often acceptance helps to overcome the block.

10. Be good to yourself.

Do the things you enjoy, and that relax you. Sometimes being creative is exhausting, so take a nap, enjoy a long, hot bubble bath, meditate, get a good night’s sleep. An overworked mind isn’t good for anyone! Reinvigorating your body will reinvigorate your mind as well.

Try some of these things yourself, and see if it helps remove those mental blocks and get your creative juices flowing again! Above all, don’t force it. Creative blocks are an ebb and flow. Lean into it, trust your process, step away when you need to. Don’t fear that you’ll never get your vibe back. You will.

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For more than sixty years Dylan has adhered to an artistic statement in his Nobel speech. He says: “We see only the surface of things. We can interpret what lies below any way we see fit.” A variety of Dylan’s paintings precisely capture his devotion to what lies beneath the surface of a winding career and longevity as an artist.

As of 2023, Bob Dylan is alive and well and regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. However, did you know he is a painter too? Below we examine a few of his paintings.

Man on a Bridge

Dylan’s “Man on a Bridge” series exhibits a young man clad in a heavy coat, and the palette ranges from drab to colorful. The lyrics Dylan produced in the sixties were famous for capturing the spirit of the times and earned him the Nobel Prize. The “Man on a Bridge” paintings is centered around a seemingly twentieth-century backdrop—perhaps in San Francisco or New York where the counterculture flourished. Like his lyrics, Dylan focalizes on the sights and textures of twentieth-century life in the “Man on a Bridge” series. The four distinction paintings may illustrate the moods of differing moments during the 1960’s. For example, the grey portrait has a post-Kennedy assassination vibe with an overcast horizon pouring down on the young man. Like the “Man on a Bridge,” Dylan’s “Train Tracks” series displays a world filled with panoramic changes.

Train Track

The “Train Track” paintings could function as a variety of visual motifs. Dylan was born in 1940, when World War Two was raging. The image of a train track could connect to the haunted history of the war, or could represent optimism and change. There are many different sets of the train tracks in this collection—and like “Man on a Bridge,” each has its own atmosphere. The blue “Train Tracks” piece juxtaposes a blue horizon with a sleepy town in the background. Dylan experienced many of the major turning points of twentieth century—such as the end of World War Two and Civil Rights Movement. Thus, the slightly somber blue “Train Tracks” could allude to Dylan’s piece of mind yet melancholy reflection of the changes he witnessed in the last century. This image of a lonesome train tracks crops up quite often in Dylan’s portfolio, and its hard to imagine that it isn’t a visual motif.

Endless Highway

Dylan’s later songs employ contrast between personal sentiment and aesthetics. One of the more dazzling art pieces Dylan has composed is “Endless Highway.” Similar to the often surreal nature of his lyrics, Dylan infuses an ordinary view of a highway with dreamlike characteristics. Since the early 1960s, Dylan has traveled throughout the United States to play music and gather perspective about the culture. “Endless Highway” appears to reflect Dylan’s journeys on the road. The highway winds past scenery teeming with evening colors, fusing personal sentiments of his journeys with aesthetics. Like the symbolism of train tracks, the subject matter of a highway has a quality of memory and longing. Dylan was never an artist who stayed idle too long, and the “Endless Highway” can be a homage to the hard miles he has traveled throughout the years.

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Those who “teach” themselves art can understandably become frustrated, particularly as a beginner. You have a bit of skill, you realize that – but how do you nurture your talent and bring out the real “artist” in you? Whether you paint landscapes in watercolor, still life works in oil or acrylic, or love abstract works of art, sometimes it’s easy to feel as though you have reached your limit in terms of your skill or imagination.

However, as an artist did you know that there really is no limit when it comes to creative, imaginative, and beautiful art? You can learn to “hone” your skills and grow as an accomplished self-taught artist.

1. Your Mindset – Give Yourself Permission

To hone in on your skills, first hone in on believing you can. Self-doubt is the biggest quencher of creativity. Artists are sensitive and harder on themselves. It’s easy to give up when you don’t believe in your work. Don’t let the fear of other people’s judgement stop you from creating your work. Judgement ties in with self-doubt. Give yourself permission, sometimes you can’t wait for the people in your life to give you the approval.

2. Don’t compare your work with other artists.

Sure, it seems almost impossible to do. You see other people’s works of art and are amazed at their talent. You cruise Instagram looking at the talent of artists throughout the world and you feel… “name your feeling“.

You are an individual, so your work should reflect your own skill, talent, and creativity. Other artists’ work can inspire you and give you ideas, but never look at others’ work and let it make you feel inferior. As artists, we never ever stop growing in regards to our skills, talent, and learning – it’s an ongoing process. Don’t stop!

3. Focus.

In a busy world, it’s easy to get distracted. Sometimes you look at a blank canvas or paper, and you think that’s as far as you will get. Disconnect from distractions, sit and relax your mind; block out everything else, focus on the energy of what you are creating – This is the power of art.

Let your creative juices flow, and when they begin, don’t hold back! Put those beautiful colors on the canvas and let it lead where it may.

4. Keep it simple.

When you are in the beginning phase and just starting to develop your talent, stick with one or two media such as watercolor or charcoal. Start with a simple subject, and don’t even attempt a project that’s really intense or complex, such as painting a huge panorama depicting horses, meadows and spicy colored woolen blankets.

You should start simple, drawing or painting fruits, bowls, water pitchers, and other things that are really basic. As you master the most basic, you can build out and begin adding shadows, light, and other elements that give your work dimension. Eventually you will find yourself painting the most complex art works that seem to come alive on the canvas, filled with texture, shadows, light, color – life!

5. Gratitude: Feel blessed for the talent you have been given.

Not everyone has the ability to create art, and not everyone can even learn it with someone else teaching. If you have been blessed with artistic ability, be happy with doing your personal best, and know that studying your favorite artists’ works and practice will take you to new levels that will excite and inspire you!

Honing your skills when you’re an artist is a process that continues forever; be inspired, be motivated, and most of all let your art reflect yourself and your passion!

You Might Find these Articles Helpful:

Am I good enough: Beyond Fear
Is this you? Common Traits of Artists
Essential Tips for Keeping your skills and Life in Order
Getting Paid what your worth – How do you value your work?

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Meet Featured Artist Nini who began drawing in Kindergarten. A self-taught artist, she expresses that “drawing is part of her personality and who she is”.

I remember my first drawing. It was the first day of my Kindergarten. We took a walk in the park and then sat drawing. I draw a tree with huge yellow leaves, between the half-naked brunches cloudless sky as was it that day. I got scolded. The teacher had this distorted view of a sky being a thin blue line at the top of the paper. I deviated from ‘kid drawing’ norms I filled the space between the leaves and branches and grass. I told the teacher she was wrong about the sky, that sky was not a line. That sky had no limit, I believe nor does our dreams.

I have always dreamed of being an artist. Drawing has always being something mine, my defining characteristic, part of my personality. I have never had a lesson in art, I don’t even know if I am holding the pencil correctly, If I am using the right paint or creating the right composition… But I believe there is no right or wrong…There is no frame for art, there is no limit…

Enjoy the expression in her work. She works in Charcoal and Acrylic.

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The first American woman to achieve prominence as a graphic designer and Art Nouveau, Ethel Reed was a strikingly attractive woman who gained notoriety at the young age of 18 for her creativity as a graphic designer, although she seemingly vanished into thin air at the age of 24 after moving to Europe following a broken engagement. During the brief period she was known for her artistic talents, she was reportedly the brightest shining star in Boston’s artistic community in the late 1800s.

Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1874, Ethel and her mother encountered many struggles following the death of her father, Edward, when Ethel was still a young girl. Self-taught for the most part, Ethel studied for a brief time at the Cowles Art School after moving to Boston with her mother in 1890, where she apprenticed as a painter of miniatures. Before she reached the age of 20, Ethel became the most famous female artist in America, not only for her creativity and reputation as an illustrator in the Art Nouveau style, but her evocative personality as well.

What happened when Ethel disappeared after her failed engagement to Philip Hale? According to the New England Historical Society, Ethel and her mother sailed to Europe on vacation. Up until 1898, Ethel completed a few commissions for The Yellow Book, an avant-garde British publication co-edited by Aubrey Beardsley. After Ethel and her mother headed to Europe, most never knew what had happened to the graphic designer and artist. According to a book written by William Peterson and published just four years ago, Ethel had two children during numerous relationships with her lovers, then tied the knot with Arthur Warwick, an English army officer. Once this marriage crumbled, Ethel allegedly became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and died when she was just in her mid-30s after living her final years in poverty.

One of the most prolific artists and designers of her time despite her young age, Ethel created numerous illustrations, important book posters, and endpapers using a style that was rooted in Art Nouveau, a style characterized by the organic line forms of the late 1800s. In fact, over a two-year time period Ethel Reed produced more than 25 posters which earned her international recognition during the poster craze. Her lively art poster images contributed to the success and popularity of posters that were enthusiastically sought by collectors.

As difficult as it still is today for women to excel in the art and design field, Ethel Reed was a woman far ahead of her time and today has a significant collection of her posters and other work displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history, and society; how tragic that Ethel Reed’s artistic potential was seemingly overtaken by the many demons of her private life.

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Many may know of George Bush as one of the Presidents of the United States. You may have liked him, or maybe you didn’t.

However, did you know he is an Artist? A rather interesting one and admirable in what his art is now providing.

It is said that George W. Bush took up painting in 2013. But I bet he dabbled before this. I can imagine that he sketched and expressed the creative side and maybe even doodled when on important calls when he was the President.

I think art is something that lives in you. It doesn’t just appear one day.

For George Bush art has become a second career and maybe a second chance. What’s interesting though is that he tried to keep his paintings secret. He dabbled in painting dogs and still life’s and then his email was hacked! He wanted to be discreet about his amateur painting skills, however, shared them on email with his sister. His paintings were obtained by the website Gawker in 2013 when a Romanian hacker illegally obtained photographs of the paintings by hacking into the email account of Bush’s sister.

All this attention placed his art under intense scrutiny. Bush ended up giving television interviews to explain the origins of his artistic pursuit.  As if anyone needs to explain why they want to paint.

Articles on the original art find can be found here on Internet Archive.

So really what’s the big deal that a former President wants to paint and express his creative side? He has been called an Outside Artist and is known as “43”.

His technique is unschooled, not self-consciously trying to emulate any identifiable painter, and his references don’t seem to be any paintings at all. He paints what he sees.

A Rise in Artistic Confidence

Practice makes perfect which any artist can attest to. Pushing aside criticism and self-doubt, Bush fully embraced his art by producing a book of intriguing portraits.

On September 14, 2016 Bush announced his book, PORTRAITS OF COURAGE: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, the book features 66 full-color portraits and a four-panel mural personally painted by President Bush of service members and veterans who have served our nation with honor, and whom the President has come to know personally since leaving office.

Art Making a Difference

President Bush will donate his net author proceeds from PORTRAITS OF COURAGE to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, a non-profit organization whose Military Service Initiative works to ensure that post-9/11 veterans and their families make successful transitions to civilian life with a focus on gaining meaningful employment and overcoming the invisible wounds of war.

You can purchase the book here:

I decided I was going to paint,” Bush explains. “My attitude was that if [Winston] Churchill can paint, I can paint. So I hired an instructor. She was a little apprehensive. She said, `What’s your objective,’ I said, `There is a Rembrandt trapped in this body. And your job is to find it.’

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Dial, who passed away at 87 years old on January 2016 was a self-taught African American artist who came to prominence in the United States in the late 1980s.

Thornton Dial was born in 1928 to a teenage mother, Mattie bell on a former cotton plantation in Emelle, Alabama. He began farm work when we was five years old and attended school rarely.

From childhood on, Dial built “things” using whatever he could salvage, recycling even his own work to reuse materials in new creations. Dial referred to what he made only as “things,” though late in life he found out that others call them “art.”

His principal place of employment was the Pullman Company in Bessemer, Alabama working as a machinist, until the company closed its doors in 1981. After the Pullman factory shut down, Dial began to dedicate himself to his art for his own pleasure.

He was ‘discovered’ by Bill Arnett, an Atlanta-based collector of art made by black Southerners. And the rest as they say, is history.

Many of Dials art pieces fetch in the upwards of 12,000 each.

What is Outsider Art?
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for raw art or rough art (untrained artists), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture. More here

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Born in Garden Valley, Idaho in 1899 just nine years after the rural frontier territory was admitted to the Union, James Castle was born deaf, never learning to read, write, or sign but choosing to communicate through his artwork instead. Later determined to be autistic by contemporary medical specialists, Castle spent a significant portion of his life creating art in a desolate chicken house and an icehouse.

James Charles Castle spent his entire life isolated in his family’s home and businesses, other than a six-month period of time spent in the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind; he was expelled from the school. Sadly, Castle was ridiculed and taunted by others. In fact, relatives would destroy his drawings, often created from items he found including scraps of cardboard and milk containers. It is believed Castle’s parents’ positions as postmasters provided much of the supplies he used to create collages, text and abstract drawings, and color meditations. Perhaps most intriguing of all, Castle would render rustic and pastoral architecture and terrain using soot mixed with saliva, which he would put on the end of a sharpened stick to render works of art much like what results with ink or graphite.

Most of Castle’s artwork was fairly unknown until after his death, although his artistic talents did garner local acclaim at the Boise Gallery of Art in exhibitions in 1963 and 1976, just one year prior to his death. International recognition came later, in fact decades after Castle’s death; in 2011 the first international retrospective of his work was held at the Museo Reina Sofia.

Tom Trusky, who was Director of the Hemingway Western Studies Center and a professor at Boise State University, is credited for bringing Castle’s artwork outside of the confined spaces the artist lived in. Moving to Boise in 1970, Trusky became familiar with Castle’s artwork after hearing of it from acquaintances who knew mostly not of Castle’s amazing talent, but of his reputation as a strange man with inexplicable artistic idiosyncrasies. While an English professor at Boise State, Trusky authored a biography of Castle. Trusky wrote in the biography that James Castle was “obsessed with making art from an early age,” and that he had been “incorrectly declared retarded, even insane.” After much study of Castle’s life, ability, and talent, and analyzation of the artist’s life by members of the medical community, Trusky said he was convinced that Castle was not insane at all, but that he was a classic example of a gifted autistic.

Today, this truly talented outsider artist’s work is exhibited across the U.S. at museums including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of Art in New York, and the American Folk Art Museum.

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Self Taught Artists: Here are some essential tips for keeping your skills – and your life – in order:

Make sure you’ve chosen the right niche. You’re pretty sure you want to become an artist, and you’ve already taken steps toward that end. Ask yourself a few questions to make sure this what you’re passionate about. Is it something you’ll be happy to continue learning about, and will you enjoy your work as much five years from now as you do today? Those who experience the most success are truly passionate about what they do.

Decide where your art workspace will be. Should you have a home studio, or one located away from home? Depending on your lifestyle and your budget, there are advantages of both. For instance, if you have two or three small children at home, it won’t be an atmosphere that’s conducive to getting much accomplished! However, if you’re on a tight budget there is much to be said for working at home – no overhead, gas for the car, or expense for a fast-food lunch. Know your personal preferences, and how well you can ignore distractions at home.

Set goals. It’s essential that stay motivated and focused. Keep in mind that not only do you have to meet your own expectations and needs, but those of your family. Schedule your time so that it works out best for your own unique situation – and set small goals, so that you will enjoy the experience of accomplishing something.

Organization is key. Because you are your own boss, you have the luxury of sleeping late every now and then or going to your daughter’s dance recital at 3 in the afternoon. Therefore because you are not on a strict schedule, you must stay organized. Keep a planner and organize the next day’s work the night before. Set regular break times for yourself so that you don’t “burn out” and will stay energized. For many budding artists (and even seasoned ones) it’s best to start your day with the most difficult task, so that you can look forward to the rest of your workday without dread.

There are lots of other things new artists should do to begin their careers on the right foot; build a website, fill it with your work, engage in social media, stay current in your skills – and on and on. But this is enough to keep you busy for a while! Essentially, make sure you have all of your ideas lined out and a stable foundation before you jump out there and start advertising your services. A well-organized and thoughtful artist is a successful artists.

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Take a step back in time…

Do you need a old magazine test to show if you’re an artist? NOPE!  Within each artist there are traits, I believe, that are common.

Artist Traits

Always on. You can’t turn it off. Everywhere you go, you ‘see’ more than meets the eye. You process life through a creative lens.

Curiosity. You’re curious about the why’s and how’s in life.

Sensitivity. You experience emotions on a deeper level, being more self-aware your also prone to being self-critical.

Compassionate. Because you can ‘see’ more deeply, you are also more in touch with the struggles others go through.

Powers of Concentration. You have the ability to hyper-focus.

There are many other artists traits of course some negative.

But the bottom line is… you don’t need a test to tell you if you’re an artist. You just know it, it’s who you are, inside and out.

But, every now and then it’s fun to take an art test (especially the Facebook ones) just to validate yourself!

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