THE DREADED BLANK CANVAS

 "It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas." - Paul Cezanne

Oh, the sheer terror!  There it is lurking like an evil presence on an easel in your studio, glaring at you accusingly with sheer malice - THE BLANK CANVAS! It is a blinding white void of creativity, harassing you on a daily basis.  How to overcome your inertia and dive into the abyss?  I have some easy tips to make the encounter with the blank canvas more enjoyable - to make it a happy little challenge rather than an avoidance freak's nightmare. So here we go...

1. Set your work area up for success.  Does your studio space double as a sewing area, kids' play room, kitchen?  Picture a corner of a crowded dining room turned art space which often spills out into adjacent rooms in my case. If possible, dedicate an area to creating art alone.  I mean dedicate.  Clear out the other crap, have all your tools out and at the ready, arrange adequate lighting.  Create a space where creativity can sprout and grow.  
2. Load your work area with inspiration in advance.  You know what paralyzes me?  The what.  What the heck am I going to paint on there?  That's because I scheduled painting time into my busy calendar, rather than waiting for the right moment. I understand the need to schedule creative time, even though it is not idea. The trick is to allow the inspiration to flow whenever it occurs while telling it to be patient. How do you do this practically?  Let's saying you're taking a lovely walk in nature when you are inspired with a fabulous idea for a painting.  When you get home, create a super quick sketch and tape it to the easel.  Same thing if you are inspired by an image in a magazine, take an interesting photo, or are inspired by a quote - tape them to the easel.  Ideally, the next time you sit down to paint at the scheduled time, there are five or six fabulous ideas sitting there just waiting to take shape.
3. Erase the nothingness.  What else is terrifying about a blank canvas? The sheer lack of anything - the nothingness, the void.  So make it un-blank - in whatever way you can as soon as you can.  Even if that means simply painting it yellow - at least you have started and taken away the absolute nothingness. Put a sketch on it or lay in some basic values with a few careless and fun strokes of the brush.
4. Embrace immaturity.  Maybe you are being assailed by self doubt.  Your inner critic shouts, "What makes you think you can do this?  Who are you to pretend to be an artist?"  My solution: pretend to be a child.  A young child is never crippled with self doubt, burdened with self-criticism, and hesitant! Pick up that paint brush and start slapping some paint on that canvas with wild abandon, because, you know what?  You can paint over it if you don't like it, but chances are that trusting your instincts and letting your creativity flow youthfully are the best things that will happen to your art.
5. If all else fails, and you find yourself unable to approach the canvas just yet, turn to your sketchbook.  That 8x10" sheet of paper is somehow less intimidating than your blank canvas.  Slap some ideas in there in a low-pressure pencil to paper way.  Next thing you know, you'll have something to sketch out on that canvas with excitement.  Tear out your sketch, tape it to the wall by your easel, and return to step one.  

Remember, every masterpiece began as a blank canvas.  An now, I'm going to go and try to follow my own advice...

Happy Painting, 

Arianne