Hello, my caffeinated friend

It’s been a while. How are you doing?

If you’ve been in a weird funk like I’ve been, then here’s a hug for you, too. And 7 absolutely awesome ways to fall in love with art again and build your creative confidence. With easy, immediately actionable steps to implement right now. Plus a bonus at the end!

Thanks to a few of my lovely friends—Dorothy, Riselle, Jenni, Kelsey, Sarah, Delphine, for contributing to this topic. I know you’re going to enjoy what they’ve gotta say.

Let’s jump right into it.

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How do you get out of a creative rut?

1. Celebrate how far you’ve come

So remind yourself, that you haven’t fallen behind. You are exactly where you need to be. In fact, take a minute and look back to where you were six months ago. Be amazed at how much you’ve actually accomplished and how much you’ve grown as an artist in such a relatively short amount of time. If you haven’t drawn in a while, maybe you needed rest. You are always right where you need to be. Have big goals, but also give yourself some grace.

2. Be Kind to Yourself

I am so guilty of this. I’m so… judgy with my work, even down to the sketches… that are supposed to be.. sketches.

Take a moment. Close your eyes. Come on. Do it with me. And take a deep breath. Vividly imagine yourself overflowing with love, confidence and creative abundance. While you’re at it, give yourself a hug.

If you have 5 minutes to spare. Write it down. If you don’t have a dedicated journal already, grab yourself a post-it and just as Dorothy says, write down what you feel. Write down why you don't feel creatively inspired. And challenge those beliefs. You’ve got the solution. You are creative. You always find a way. Sometimes, you just need to talk yourself through it and give yourself some love.

3. Inspiration is not the starting point, it’s the result

I couldn’t agree more! Don’t wait for inspiration to strike. You’d just be spending time not making the cutest sh*t. “Inspiration” is fickle and unreliable. Instead prod your creativity into motion by putting it into your schedule

So build your creativity into your calendar. Give yourself 10 minutes to draw or paint some swatches. Make it fun! Your goal is to just play. No expectations. But schedule even 10-15 minutes into your calendar (you might go over.) Doesn’t have to be every single day at the same exact time. But commit to it.

Honestly, the hardest thing is to. just. start. Once you’re in the groove, there’s no stopping you. What you do on days you don’t feel inspired is what determines how far you will go.

4. Enjoy those moments of leisure and relief

A great way to boost your creative confidence is.. Of course, by being in the trenches and being actually creative. Enjoying moments of leisure could mean participating in an art challenge without putting too much pressure and expectation on yourself! Like committing 30 minutes a day, 10 minutes every other day, to sketch. Remember, leisure.

I think that’s why I fail every single time with inktobers. 7 days I can do. But 30… that’s asking for a lot. And I just give myself immense pressure to make perfect work like other artists on instagram, but I dont factor in the fact that I also have a 9-6 and other responsibilities. Maybe one day I’ll find the balance, but I digress.

And as Delphine says, comparison with others is good if you look at it through the lens of learning, and not self-sabotage. It’s tricky but the question you should ask yourself is, what do I like about this and how can I improve next time?

5. You are worthy to be in this space.

You, my friend, are filled to the brim with so much creativity whether you have an artistic background or not. You have so much creativity you’re basically bursting at the seams. And you should believe it too. 

So why do you make yourself  feel small? If anything, have some solid sense to create more room for yourself. I mean.. art supplies alone, amirite? Be comfortable. You are worthy to be in this space. 

6. You don’t have to “find your style” because you probably already have one.

This. is. Gold. One thing that may be blocking your creative confidence receptors is feeling overwhelmed or perhaps feeling aimless in your own work. Feeling the pressure and thinking too long and too hard about “finding your style.” 

As an illustrator who emulates different styles for my professional design job, I struggle with this ALL the time when it comes to my personal work.

But get this, anything you create is uniquely you. It’s your style. Your way of drawing an apple as it is YOUR unique way of seeing and experiencing the world. Whether you’re studying an artist’s technique or drawing from life. Whether you’re experimenting color palettes, illustration styles, or subjects to paint.

We could take the exact same class. Same supplies, same project brief, same reference. And they would STILL come out uniquely yours and uniquely mine. 

As Sarah said “Your artwork reflects a little piece of you no matter what.”

No matter how “disconnected” or perceiving “random” you think your artwork might feel to you, your work is tied together by the fact that you made it. You. The artist that you are. And it documents your growth in your creative journey. And there’s something to be said about that. 

7. Believe in your own magic

Believe in your heart and in your mind that you are heading in the right direction. When you believe in your own magic you KNOW that you are an effing Unicorn. In the best way possible. I don’t think anyone’s said shit about unicorns. Or insert your spirit animal. My point is.. Be absolutely stunned by watching your creative magic unfold. And how do you do that if you haven’t started?

So take a breath. You want to instantly build creative confidence? Remind yourself you are magic. And believe in it. I always imagine a little vessel that sits in the middle of my heart, in my soul, (I can’t believe i’m telling you this) and I visualize pouring light, or magic, into it. And as silly as that sounds. I feel better. Like I’m recharged. 

Try it for yourself, let me know if it works for you too.

Which one did you need to hear the most?

My friends have been so kind and generous with sharing their thoughts on this topic that I couldn’t just leave ya with 7 Affirmations. Here are some bonus ideas you need to jot down to boost your creative juju. We covered so many different ways to boost your creative confidence and I hope there are a few that spoke to you and  inspired you. That is my ultimate goal.

Download your FREE Affirmations for Creatives Worksheet!

I truly hope these helped you boost your creative confidence. I’ve created a simple, yet super effective Affrimations for Creatives Worksheet and it’s ready for you! Just click the link below to download it!

It’s easier to pick yourself back up, when you have them where you can see them. Keep them top of mind when you’ve fallen into a creative rut. 

I’m glad to have you here. Leave a comment of a positive thought you had today!

Smile more often,

— Kai

Want to explore a little more?

• Let’s take our friendship to the next level, bestfriendship ... → Join the Kaimmunity 🥰

• Check out my First Studio Vlog → Watch on Youtube

• Or if you want some drawing ideas, here’s my → Unfinished Sketchbook Tour

• Brene Brown’s Netflix Special → A Call to Courage