👿 I’ve lost my inspiration for making art
#56 Last day in Paris, the city of arts
Dear little demon,
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In this Missive:
1/ Intro.
2/ No inspiration.
3/ A Myth.
4/ Never start from scratch.
5/ Conclusion.
1/ Intro.
Last week, I was strolling along the banks of the Seine in the heart of Paris. Beneath the comforting sun, I wandered past intriguing art galleries, historic art shops, and stunning luxury campagnes on giant billboards.
"I want to live in Paris again."
It crossed my mind because everything here made me feel inspired. And after the difficult past few months, my love for art was being reborn!
Welcome to edition #56 of The Art Missive, where I open up about my relationship with inspiration as I spend the last few days in Paris.
2/ No inspiration.
Being in Paris has been refreshing. Amidst the Haussmannian architecture, vibrant flower shops, and numerous art exhibitions, my mind feels boosted with ideas and motivation. It's reassuring because over the past few months, my relationship with art has greatly deteriorated.
In a previous Missive, I explained how I found myself trapped in a relentless cycle that made me loathe creation. I made a promise to myself to rebuild a healthier relationship with my art, but I've realized that it's not something that happens overnight.
Even today, I still experience moments of anxiety as I stare at my blank canvas, with the recurring thought echoing in my mind: "Merde, I have no inspiration today”.
3/ A myth.
You know, I am aware that inspiration is a myth.
When creating doesn't come easily, we often think it’s due to a lack of inspiration. So, we turn to reading art books or scrolling through Pinterest in search of ideas. Yet, I've noticed that this doesn't really help: we end up wandering for hours without being able to create anything.
This reminded me of what Chuck Close said about inspiration:
"Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. (...) All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself."
And I've noticed this in my years of practice: during periods when I didn't draw much, creating new characters seemed impossible. I tended to overthink the next creation, put pressure on myself, and couldn't find ideas... In contrast, there were virtuous phases where I practiced a lot. I spent hours working on studies, sketches, and more sophisticated artworks. I spent a lot of time creating, making mistakes, and learning. And this large volume of work generated an overwhelming flow of ideas and motivation: creating became self-evident.
4/ Never start from scratch.
"Look, Léa, I love the color combination on these plates, we could use it for our project!"
These past few weeks, as I was learning oil painting with Vladislav Yashin, such observations were frequent. Whether it was a poster, plates, or simply a floral arrangement, Vladislav seemed to find inspiration in everything around him. It taught me a lot about the true role of inspiration.
Although inspiration cannot replace hard work and constant practice, it remains an essential pillar of the creative process. It allows artists to continually enrich their practice and stay connected to others. Pablo Picasso perfectly expressed the role of inspiration in an artist's life by saying that "inspiration does exist, but it must find you working."
During my last days in Paris, I listed what I would like to put in place to stay inspired:
Create something every week, the result doesn’t matter
Train my brain to see the world with an artist's eye
Read an art book or attend an artistic workshop every week
Do more sketches of my surroundings
Look at work from different cultures or time periods
Reinvent my old works
5/ Conclusion.
At the end of the week, I left Paris and returned home with my head filled with inspiration but also with doubts: "Will I be able to paint on my own?" "How do I bring out my style with oil painting?" "Am I really good enough?"
See? I was already starting to overthink. Fortunately, I came across an interview with the talented Rick Owens that put my thoughts back in the right place:
“You have to shut up and work and work and work all the time and produce and produce and produce. And the more you produce, the more your character or your talent will emerge. (...) As long as you work and make enough things to choose from, you’ll be able to have an edit that becomes who you are.”
I'll leave you to reflect on that.
That's all from me, see you next week! 😈
Léa
Maybe try some arthouse films, as well. At worse, they're a good watch!
Maybe try some arthouse films, as well. At worse, they're a good watch!