Why You Should Take An Inspiration Fast

Last year I created almost 300 paintings in 4 months. From August to November.

The number and time frame isn't the important part though. The important part is what you don't see. It's the mindset behind creating all of these paintings, no matter the number.

That's what I'd like to share with you in today's newsletter. Let's talk about inspiration.

Above are some of the rock and tree paintings I did last year. All from Folsom Lake, CA and painted outdoors on location. At the beginning of last year, I couldn't even paint rocks if I tried. They've always been a struggle of mine.

But after going out and painting them from life, I began to understand what it takes to create realistic-looking rocks.

The point behind all of these paintings I made was that during this time I was taking an inspiration fast. This helped me to create more freely and to create more often too.

What is an Inspiration Fast?

An inspiration fast is when you stop looking at any other art. No inspiration whatsoever. And just focus on creating.

That's exactly what I did. Because I have a tendency to get obsessed with any one artist's work and study every single piece they've ever done. I'll do this for days and days on end. Analyzing everything. This is a problem because it creates a lot of negative issues for me like:

• Comparing my work to theirs and feeling disappointed

• My new work ends up looking like theirs (or it doesn't turn out well)

• I lack my own style, I feel disappointed again

• The cycle continues

So, during these 4 months, I committed completely to painting as much as possible. No inspirations. No references. Just me and nature.

Any free time I had, I was out at the lake painting something new. Or the same thing but a different day and time. On most days I did 2 paintings.

Below you can see the same group of trees and how they changed in 4 months. From different angles and times of day and times of year. I painted this same group more than 30 times so far.

I wasn't worried about outcomes (okay, maybe sometimes I just wanted a good painting haha), or style or any of that. My focus was to paint and experience the beauty of the moment. And do it over and over again.

Now when I lay out all of my paintings, I can see something there. Similarities. Interesting things happening.

Maybe the beginnings of a style. I'm not sure.

All I know is this was the most I've ever painted in a year. Or in such a short amount of time.

It was also the most free I've ever felt when painting and creating. This contributed to the amount of output I did. I felt free to keep creating more and more. The more I painted, the more I kept wanting to paint every day.

There were still definitely difficult days when the paintings didn't turn out well. Or multiple days in a row to be honest.

But I kept pushing through knowing there was more to learn and more growth to happen.

The only reason I stopped painting was because a big project at my day job came up and the weather became too cold and windy for painting.

Thoughts on Inspiration

There are times when inspiration is necessary, no doubt.

For the past 10 years or more of my painting journey, I always had inspirations. I went to museums. I looked at art online. I read art books. It all fed me and motivated me to excel with painting.

But I also think there are times when it's best to block out everything and just create. I do it for a while at a time. At least a month or two.

Discover who you are as an artist. Ask yourself:

• What are you interested in

• What do you have to say

• How do you want to say it

That's what's going to help you find your voice. Your style. Whatever you want to call it.

When you stop trying to be like everyone else, that's when your true self comes out and you create authentically.

I encourage you to try this out for yourself, if you haven't already.

Take an inspiration fast for a few weeks and just create stuff.

Embrace how you naturally create because no one will do it exactly the way you do it. That's the fun part, learning to be intuitive with your practice and going with the flow.

Free yourself from comparisons and external validation.

See how your art naturally evolves and how you feel about your process.

I wish you the best! And as always, have fun with it!