I need a kick in the ass

[perpetualInsomnia]

Be mean at me, pinch me, yell at me and make me learn some kind of millenarian method to force myself to work and beat the shit out of my lazy self.

That's pretty much the idea I have when I come back to the Art Discussion section to post one of these.

But yeah, it's surreal.

And it feels like I am wasting your and my time. Right now I could be writing the synopsis of an idea I had last week or draw any of the things I have in my mind right now.

I realize that most of the time the only person preventing me from being my own publisher is myself. And I become discouraged from sorting out that obstacle too easy.

I don't have the material I need. I buy it, but I've got no time for art at all.
I schedule some time by taking out TV, I am too tired to start.
I sleep enough, but then I'd rather do anything else than staring.
When I finally start, I see that I haven't drawn in two weeks and that all my drawings are shit.

Repeat.

I could come up with the cheapest excuse against drawing. And I could know they are excuses but go on with them. I could know how to deal with them but still do nothing.

And it doesn't make sense.

I know the problem. I know the solution. And fuck, this applies not only to art, but to everything else in my life as well.

And there's something pulling me back, it's always been there. Whenever I have found a way to deal with it I am the freest man in the world. I can remember loving drawing back in summer, and drawing every single day; and I didn't draw any better back then -rather the opposite. Then the holiday was gone and I feel I have a duty towards drawing more than a passion. Even though I'd love to, I don't want to draw anymore.

The solution to all this bullshit is working. I know it's working.

And a good kick in the ass would be ideal to get my hands back to holding the pencil and doing something; but I don't want to come here every six days whenever I'm on a dry period.

And you don't need someone whining every six days.

I am really disappointed with myself for the frequency at which I have to come here saying "this will do" as of late, and the little amount of work I get done in spite of all the helpful feedback and reading "Art and Fear".

I just don't have a clue about how to push myself to get things done. I don't need a kick, I need to learn how to kick myself.

[Black Spot]

Read the stickies

[Lyraina]

I found this thread to be quite helpful, there are links for every kind of "lack of motivation": http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=138102

In the end, no external force will help you get up and actually do something instead of talking about how you should being something. Maybe it will help you to think of what course your life will go if you don't get active? That's quite motivating to me, at the moment.
But, as I said, look at the linked thread - there are some nice links about self motivation and how to learn discipline in there. Just be careful not to spend 10 hours reading instead of doing.

Good luck to you, if you learn a way how to effectively kick yourself, tell me

[TinyBird]

I could come up with the cheapest excuse against drawing.

YOU ALREADY DID.
"I don't have the material I need. I buy it, but I've got no time for art at all.
I schedule some time by taking out TV, I am too tired to start. I sleep enough, but then I'd rather do anything else than staring."
...what.

Honestly, 80% of your threads are "I can't do stuff, tell me how to do it" when the only one that can help you is YOU and when even that time you spent on writing those threads could have been spent sketching and even updating your sketchbook. And you being aware of this and acknowledging this in your OP doesn't really change the fact that you could have spent this time drawing.
And now these threads only seem to devolve into "punish me, I've been bad" attention threads which I personally hate so badly.

I just don't have a clue about how to push myself to get things done. I don't need a kick, I need to learn how to kick myself.

And as for kicking yourself to do stuff, I don't think there's any special way to do it. Every time you catch yourself doing something other than drawing (say, watching youtube videos or browsing internet or something) you stop that and go back to drawing. Feel tired? Pick that pen up and draw couple things, then go to bed. Basically this:

The way you focus is to go back to the task you started and finish it. Every time you catch yourself drifting you go back until your finished. It a choice, at some point you make the choice to not finish the thing you started. If you always make the coice to finish you will finish.

[Kfeeras]

You'd love to, but you don't want to draw anymore?

Hell, just don't. It's ok not to do something that you dont want to.

If you want to "have drawn", but not actually do the drawing, stop.

Cool down and find your passion. Do something else. Please.

[Saraiva]

If you dont draw, you wont be any good. Is that enough of a kick in ass?

[arenhaus]

You are overlooking an activity that takes up too much of your time: whining and worrying that you aren't doing anything useful.

If you quit it, you'll have some time and energy freed up for doing something useful.

[Blackthorne]

The last bit of your post makes me think that your problem is probably just laziness. You want it, but you don't want to put in the actual work to get it. There's no shortcuts to getting better; the more you do it, the better you get.

[crossmirage]

I dare you to not do anything at all for 3 days straight. Don't clean yourself, don't watch TV, don't touch the computer, don't make a proper meal. Don't even think about drawing. Just yourself, in your bed, with nothing else.

Yeah, you heard me.

[dierat]

If you want to draw, draw. If you don't want to draw, don't. Find something you do want to do and do it. No one has a gun to your head demanding that you be an artist. Stop thinking about drawing as something you have to do. You've turned art into some horrible chore you don't want to do, like mowing the lawn.

[Tim Murphy]

Then the holiday was gone and I feel I have a duty towards drawing more than a passion. Even though I'd love to, I don't want to draw anymore.

Well?

[Voodoo_Mama]

Only you can motivate yourself.

[Kfeeras]

a good way to find out what you want/love is to write a diary.

[Saramel]

you lack discipline!

you probably have mass-media/technology-induced ADD. Maybe you should learn to meditate, and close off the crazytown in your brain. You don't need a kick in the ass, you don't need to punish yourself, and you don't need all this attention. You need to find the motivation within. And maybe when you find a way to silence everything that's distracting you from the outside, you will find that what you really want is not to be a great artist, but something else entirely. Asking people to yell and you at add more noise to the confusion surrounding you is not the answer here. You are addicted to distractions and overloads of sensory stimulation, like many people today. You need to figure out how to go inside yourself and listen to you!

[Tim Murphy]

you probably have mass-media/technology-induced ADD. Maybe you should learn to meditate, and close off the crazytown in your brain.

When I cut moved I made sure I didn't get cable or satellite hooked up. Not having television really increased my focus and productivity, so it might help you PI. If you're in a situation where you can't cut the cable (living with parents), I'd just limit your access to it. If you've got a TV in your room, move it elsewhere.

Also, you don't have to see advertising anymore!

[OHI]

.....

[Farvus]

The solution to all this bullshit is working. I know it's working.

Not really. It would say the solution is having fun with drawing.

Regarding the comments about removing TV. It's a matter of taste but I found that drawing while at the same time watching television is very relaxing activity.

[purplegoat]

Put the fun back in drawing by drawing things that you love. Monsters, naked women, naked men, moody landscapes, robots, cars, flowers, abstract shapes, architectural renderings... whatever it is... then draw without giving a damn about it. And if you really don't want to draw, don't. One doesn't get better in a day, or weeks, it takes years to really improve. If you can't live with that, stop drawing and never look back.

[perpetualInsomnia]

I just wanted to say that this is the last "asking the forums to babysit me" thread I make. I turn to these whenever I have ANY kind of obstacle, and the whole pantomime just shows that I need to stiff upper lip sometimes.

Reading the OP again, damn.

I don't know what to say not to look like an attention wh*re (as if I already hadn't) but I want to say thank you for your time, both from the people with generous advice and serious criticism, and apologies for the time I have been wasting, from my and your side.

*damn censor.

[TinyBird]

I don't know what to say not to look like an attention wh*re

You don't have to say anything, just get on doing stuff and let the results talk for you *cracks whip*

[Conniekat8]

You don't have to say anything, .....*

Draw us a picture instead!

[Teriopi]

I find surrounding myself with inspiration is my best motivation. Doesn't that sound like such a cheesy little cliche? It's true. I keep print outs of awesome paintings taped to my wall. There doesn't have to have any dedicated upkeep. I change them, or not, based on what strikes my fancy.
Try pulling up youtube and doing a search for someone painting the subject you have in mind. Or hitting up the bookstore and flip through artbooks. Or just go for a quick stroll around the block and ruminate on your latest idea. A change of scenery can clear your mind and exercise is a general mood booster, which you sound like you could benefit from.

[vineris]

You don't need a kick in the ass, you need to figure out what it is you actually want to spend time on -- separated from all the secondary things like hero worship, prestige, and so on -- and then go spend your time on it.

[Conniekat8]

I don't know what to say not to look like an attention wh*re (as if I already hadn't) but I want to say thank you for your time, both from the people with generous advice and serious criticism, and apologies for the time I have been wasting, from my and your side.

well, also, in spite of what some people would have you think, interacting with other people isn't a completely useless experience.

Isolating ourselves too much can also have a negative impact.. us hoomans are programmed to need at least some social interaction.
Don't let it impact you so much that you allow yourself to start feeling very out of whack in the different direction.

[fenko]

You sound like one of those guy that just want success and reward without effort, a wannabe

The fact that you are asking people to motivate you means you lack the quality to be self-driven.

Try to anticipate more discussion and art activity instead of posting this, we are not your parents, we cant always give you a pat on the back.