Have you ever really want to draw, but nothing comes out? You sit in front of your empty canvas with zero ideas. Sound familiar?
Art Block is when a creative person doesn’t feel like they can create right now. Artists describe it like having a mental wall and nothing comes out of it, even though they really want to create something.
Art Block is normal! Many factors contribute to it, such as burnout, stress, perfectionism, or lack of inspiration. However, it does get in the way often, especially for us who create art as a career.
Here are some ways you can counter art block:
Block Time to Draw
Schedule 5-10 minutes to sit down and force a doodle. It won’t be the prettiest, but it frees you from being frozen. If you’re up to it, you can also make small weekly or monthly goals to drive motivation.
Make Something Simple
Focus on basics like shapes or sketches. If you need a little more guidance, you can pull up tutorials and follow along. The important part is just to get your hands moving and creating.
Draw Ugly Today
Sometimes it’s just an Ugly Drawing day, and there’s not much you can do about it. Not everything is going to be a masterpiece. Don’t throw it away! It’s okay to just make something bad and leave it as is.
Touch Grass
When all else fails, maybe it’s time to go outside. Get some fresh air, drink some water, and take a break. If you find yourself in a prolonged Art Block, you can gather some artist friends or seek out local artist communities to draw together. For more information regarding prolonged art block, you can look up our blog about Burnout.
Written by: Ash Carmen | October 2026