How do you beat de-motivation?

[Quicksilver]

Seriously, it sucks. I really miss drawing, but whenever I try to do something I either can't get into it AT ALL, or it just looks completely wrong. Even when doing simple life drawings (of objects, not people) my concentration flies away. My attention span is really low. =(

Does anyone have any boosters to try out? I have so much to catch up on for my assignments already....

[bluegoddess16]

for me i find when im lacking artistic drive i just have to forcefully push through it. one night i just sat down and made myself do a simple watercolor painting with a photo reference. i think it looked like complete crap, but in a sense,it was like finally exhaling for the first time in a really long time. its hard to be "on" all the time and sometimes you just need to do something crappy and laugh about it to finally stop worrying so much about not always being able to create things.

another thing that really helped me not too long ago was an invite to donate a painting for this juvenile diabetes benfit in my city. it finally got me to stop being selfish(in a sense), wanting to create something to make myself happy and modivated me to want to do it to help make a difference fora really good cause.

im just giving a few examples of things ive gone through.

my best advice it to not force perfection out of yourself. if you can only draw for 5 mintues, fine, just do that. do some mental drawing in your head of things you might like to challenge yourself with. i think for most people, having a challenge to overcome is the best self motivator.

[blog]

try out this link. I simply typed procrastination on google: its really worth a read!

http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap4/chap4r.htm

[Quicksilver]

...my best advice it to not force perfection out of yourself...having a challenge to overcome is the best self motivator.

That's a really good point. Thanks. =) It reminded me of when I had to do a watercolour sketch in the style of Jake Sutton, which ended up looking really crap. One of my mates counted down to ten and demanded that I'd finish painting the trousers by then, lol.

Thanks for the advice, bluegoddess16. =) Does anyone else have any tips?

[edit]
Wow, thanks, blog! I'll print it out and read it now. Oooohhh I should've listened to people and taken breaks when gaming for long periods; now I can't look/read from the screen for long without getting a headache.

edit #2

More recently, Sapadin and Maguire (1997) have also classified procrastinators into types: the "perfectionist" who dreads doing anything that is less than perfect, the "dreamer" who has great ideas but hates doing the details, the "worrier" who doesn't think things are right but fears that changes will make them worse, the "defier" who resists doing anything suggested or expected by someone else, the "crisis-maker" who manages to find or make a big problem in any project (often by starting too late), and the "over-doer" who takes on way too many tasks.

Omg, I'm all of those!!

[CaptainInsano]

I punch myself in the face as hard as I can

[styler]

me two

[AndreasM]

Just draw. Don't consern yourself about the outcome. It's all about the process. I often get frustrated when I neglect the process. Not every scetch has to be a masterpiece. Just have patience.

[bluegoddess16]

Just draw. Don't consern yourself about the outcome. It's all about the process. I often get frustrated when I neglect the process. Not every scetch has to be a masterpiece. Just have patience.

exactly.

[JERI]

Try drawing right after exercising in the gym. Exercise releases pleasure-inducing chemicals into your system, which helps you tackle tasks with a brighter disposition.

[aweshux]

Thanks for bring this up Quicksilver. It is a question I always ask myself when school goes on break. Now I have been drawing for a couple of hours really loosley and I managed to scrape by with good concept ideas for next semester.
Thanks to blog as well for the link. A savior in my book.

Cheers
_shux

[waronmars]

read one of the ten billion other threads on exactly the same topic. SERIOUSLY, SOMEONE FIX THE SEARCH BUTTON

[Idiot Apathy]

If your bored your probably not learning; try something new.

[John]

Unless you draw, don't do anything else. Don't turn on the TV, don't listen to music, don't clean the house. Just sit around thinking about what an idiot you are for not drawing right now. 10 minutes get me angry enough to sit down and do something. It also helps me to sharpen my pencils, look through my sketchbook, set up my workplace etc.

[Dan.v.D.]

i have no time to think about de-motivation. i´m always busy doin "online research"

[Carnifex]

i look through my old sketches and see old ideas i like,and think "hell i can do that better" and redraw it.
sometimes i just skip drawing that day and go out in the evening,have as much fun(alcohol )with friends as possible and return to drawing the next day when i need it quiet.

[Quicksilver]

ParkerD: No, because that would hurt >.<

Just draw. Don't consern yourself about the outcome. It's all about the process. I often get frustrated when I neglect the process. Not every scetch has to be a masterpiece. Just have patience.

That's such a good point...

JERI: Didn't think of that. Cheers~

read one of the ten billion other threads on exactly the same topic. SERIOUSLY, SOMEONE FIX THE SEARCH BUTTON

Eep, sorry.

Idiot Apathy: I tell myself to do that, but then can't think of anything to do, and then end up not doing anything new at all! Bad, bad me.

john o.: That's a good idea. I get bored easily enough. o_O

Carnifex: Hehe, I did that a while ago. Oh god, the cringiness....it burns, BURNS!!!

Oooohh, I just got an email from a friend about someone wanting a costume designer so I'll start sketching for that. I think that's my problem: I NEED something to work up to, otherwise I don't see the point in it. Does anyone else feel like this?

Thanks for all the advice =3 [hands out cookies]

[Lazy]

When i dont know what to draw, this maybe sounds wierd but i simply take a small brake

Maybe read something. whatch a movie, go online for a while, meet some pals. Then when i come back my head is straight again.
But one good tip is also to look through your old sketches as mentioned, or maybe flip through some comics/artbooks/manga books.

[Blue]

Learning something new always seems to do it. Whenever i watch a video walk through of a painting i really like...i get more inspiration then i know what to do with. Not to mention I also get cued into new techniques so my work is inevitably better..and that ALWAYS helps motivate.

[mrhugecojones]

Try drawing right after exercising in the gym. Exercise releases pleasure-inducing chemicals into your system, which helps you tackle tasks with a brighter disposition.

As a former personal trainer I can say from previous experiences (mine and of clients) that this one is true, Exercising can really make a difference in your life not just in terms of health and looks but also in your ability to destroy stress and to give you confident to tackle otherwise though assigments.

Excellent recomendations man you just earned a million Kudos from me!

[mrhugecojones]

When i dont know what to draw, this maybe sounds wierd but i simply take a small brake

Maybe read something. whatch a movie, go online for a while, meet some pals. Then when i come back my head is straight again.
But one good tip is also to look through your old sketches as mentioned, or maybe flip through some comics/artbooks/manga books.

Weird? that's the demon right there, I suffer from a severe case of that, if only I knew what to draw!

[mrhugecojones]

Unless you draw, don't do anything else. Don't turn on the TV, don't listen to music, don't clean the house. Just sit around thinking about what an idiot you are for not drawing right now. 10 minutes get me angry enough to sit down and do something. It also helps me to sharpen my pencils, look through my sketchbook, set up my workplace etc.

John you are amazing, definetely trying that one out.

Thanks!

[Flake]

"Yay" you bumped a 5 years old thread.

Probably not a good idea.