Sometimes I struggle with ideas for my art. During those times, I use different resources to help me come up with new ideas.

Here are some ways to combat “artistic block” to generate creative themes or ideas:

• Surf Pinterest – Create an inspiration board with pins you like so that you can go back and reference them for creative ideas. Check out my Pinterest.
• Search Instagram – Similar to surfing Pinterest, except you would need to keep your own notebook on pages you like. You can check out my posts for inspiration, as well. Some of my posts are personal mixed in with art and crafts. I hope you enjoy them!
• Go old-school – Take out art and craft books from the library. If you don’t have much time to go to the library, you can always search the library website and place books on hold.
• Buy craft books for reference – If you found books that you feel like you’ll reference often, buy them online or at your local bookstore. This is what I did to find my idea for the pictured painting. I bought “Ever After: Create Fairy Tale-inspired Mixed-Media Art Projects to Develop Your Personal Artistic Style” by Tamara LaPorte.

The first project in that book was to paint the Little Red Ridinghood story, but give it your own twist. So, I thought about what Little Red would be like in our times. She would have a smartphone and be taking selfies. Her friend, Wolf, would be her pal who likes to photobomb her during said selfies. I really enjoyed making this piece because it had a specific story behind it.

What do you do to combat artistic block?