The Secret

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - starts at $100)

So ... one thing I hear from a lot of artists/creative people - friends, students, on Facebook - is frustration over a general lack of motivation to get in the studio and produce. I realized today that one thing I participate in often towards that goal is - CREATIVE FOREPLAY.

This is basically anything that gets your motor running - your creative juices flowing - your heart pounding. And (for me) it can include:

• simply turning on the lights and music in my studio
• hanging out in there, looking around, maybe even just sitting down and looking at all my still life stuff
• flipping through my art magazines or books
• doing any kind of menial task IN my studio that is so boring I'd rather paint
• sketching, even just doodling nonsense can work
• doing timed, 10-minute paintings of one subject at a time (I think I've mentioned this before a few times...)
• deciding to spend the whole day just composing still lifes and not painting (pretty soon I abandon that when my 5th try is so great I can't resist!)

Because when you are doing everything else EXCEPT making art, but feeling bad about it, you are not any closer to your goal. So take that first little step, and chances are SOMETHING will light a spark, however tiny.

What gets you going? Please share your version of creative foreplay. : )