How to Get Back into Art After a Long Break

I've Heard It Before

"I used to make art."

Sometimes it's painting. Sometimes quilting, pottery, sewing, knitting, or keeping a

sketchbook. The medium changes, but the sentiment doesn't.

I've heard that sentence hundreds of times.

People think they’ve lost their creativity.

I don’t think that’s what’s happened.

I think they lost their rhythm. 

I know, because I did too. 

Why Getting Back Into Art Feels So Hard

Quite a few years ago I was in one of those wonderful creative seasons. Ideas came one after another. One painting led to another good one. I couldn't wait to get back into the studio each time. New series emerged. 

I was finally making work that felt uniquely mine...the kind of work I'd always hoped I could create.

Then life changed.

I became part of the ‘sandwich generation,’ caring for my mom while still raising our son. It was a demanding season, emotionally and practically, and creating got put on the back burner for a while.

A long while. 

Eventually I found my way back. I’d sew in the corner of our TV room while streaming The Practice. It wasn't about productivity. It was comforting. Familiar. It reminded me how good it felt to make something again..

When I finally decided I wanted to get back into art, I made another change. I wanted to expand my abstract painting style. I loved it. 

The problem was...I was starting over.

The confidence I'd built in one medium didn't automatically transfer to another. I looked at my old work and wondered how I'd ever made it. I honestly didn't know how I did what I did.

I remember thinking...

Can I get there again?

Where do I even start?

I want to be good again.

You Didn't Lose Your Creativity

Looking back, I don't think I lost my creativity. I lost my rhythm.

Rhythm and momentum aren't the same thing.

Rhythm is the cadence of returning to your creative practice. It's showing up consistently enough that making becomes familiar again. You stop wondering if you'll make art because it's simply part of your life. Ideas begin connecting. One project naturally leads to another.

Momentum is what rhythm creates.

Momentum carries you forward. It makes the next session easier than the last. Eventually it becomes stronger than discipline because creating starts pulling you back instead of you forcing yourself toward it.

When life interrupted my rhythm, I lost my momentum.

Then friction quietly took its place.

At first glance, the reasons we stop making art all look different.

We don't have enough time.

We compare ourselves to artists who've been doing this for years.

We think we need three uninterrupted hours before it's worth pulling out the supplies.

We don't know what to make next.

We feel guilty for letting so much time pass.

I don't think those are separate problems. I think they're all friction: Little stories that stand between us and the studio chair.

What Actually Helps

The biggest mistake I see people make when getting back into art is believing the rusty feeling is permanent. It isn't.

Work through the ick. Work through the resistance.

Don't expect the first session back to feel like your best creative season. It won't. It may take a while.

Instead of trying to recreate what you had before, let yourself move toward what you want now.

You are evolving. That previous creative season may be over.

Another one is waiting if you'll let it.

Start by making it easier to begin.

Clear a space.

Pull out your supplies before you need them.

Put twenty minutes on the calendar.

Decide ahead of time what you'll do.

Lower your expectations.

The goal isn't to finish a masterpiece. The goal is to sit in the chair.

Rhythm comes before momentum.

Your Way Back Starts Smaller Than You Think

If you believe you've lost your creativity, I hope you'll reconsider. You can absolutely get it back.

It may not look exactly like it did before...and that's okay. You're not the same person you were ten years ago. Why would your art be?

Maybe you don't need a dedicated studio.

Maybe you don't need three uninterrupted hours (Read: "Why I Stopped Treating Studio Time Like Free Time").

Maybe you don't need to figure out your next masterpiece.

Maybe you just need to show up in the margins.

That's where rhythm begins again.

And rhythm creates momentum.

PS. If you want some help with this, I created the Studio Sessions Planner to help break everything down into manageable steps. Also includes a motivational Habit Tracker to keep tabs on your progress.