Hi there,

I'm conscious that this could turn into a blog post so I'll try to keep it short.

Recently I've been feeling like I've lost my creative sharpness. I feel a bit as if my inspiration has dried up and I'm sort of stumbling along to project completion. I guess it could be attributed to being in the middle of a fairly large project and I'm just feeling the lull of daily working without change.

But I'm starting to think it could be something else, like the people I socialise with. While a few of them are definitely good artists, I feel like I'm in a creative void when I'm around them. Obviously these people are my friends and that isn't going to change. It's difficult to fairly articulate, because I like these people, but on the other hand I feel as if they are somehow affecting the way I think.

Do you guys have any tips for maintaining your creative edge? Does it really have anything to do with those around you or am I just looking for excuses?

What really helped me and most people probably won't want to do this (especially if you're doing this for a living) is just walking away from anything art related. I took a good three month break from art after I completed work for Warm Gun and when I started back into modeling and stuff, it was like I was flooded with ideas.

If you can't do that, try something else, like drawing or photography. I hate to sound weird, but since I got this SLR, I look at things differently. It really pushed my artistic eye. You don't realize how much neat stuff is around you until you think "wow that would make a really nice photo".

Working out helps.

Originally Posted by Disco Stu

Working out helps.

^ what he said, as well additional activities such as Surfing, and Skateboarding (if you can avoid being arrested)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliberate_self-harm

I call it burn out.

You're probably stuck in a rut, probably doing the same routine day in and day out. Do something different, take a day off go to a part of town you've never been, get out and walk around.
Take some ref pics, shoot some textures if the lighting is good.
Do some sketching.
Go be a tourist in your home town.
Work with some tactile art or do some kind of physical craft.
Start a sculpture, pick up wood carving.
Make a suit of storm trooper armor from scratch.
Try out some paper craft.
You can always learn something new from anyone you meet. If you have trouble talking to strangers or strangers have trouble talking to you, it might be a good idea to volunteer somewhere like a senior or veterans center.

At the very min take a few hours to dig through flickr or travel photo sites and look at different stuff.

Yes exercise is very important, as is down time, you cant be creative 100% of the time. Like mentioned before taking a break or time off to do something non art related makes a huge difference for me. Like i took 3 months off 3d art and just did sculpture and played video games. When i came back to 3d it was like i had some sort of awakening, i just plowed through projects, and learned a ton of new stuff in a short period of time. Then after about a year of doing that i started to hit a point again where creating art became very laborious, so i took a month break just playing video games and playing music and, now i am refreshed again, and have all sorts of interesting ideas.

on the friends thing, sometimes i think its better to have friends who are not artists. I mean its great to be able to talk to other artists on the same level, as reflection on your work and projects is very important to developing your skills, but sometimes you need different stimulus. Most of my friends are not artists and i love that because when we get together we have something to talk about besides what Im doing at work or school.

Did you seriously just say working out is down time? Are you serious? (if I misunderstood, I apologize. If I thought right, you need to rethink it).
A successful person balances himself out, no one said it is an easy thing. Where is the spirit of victory if that is the case? You can practically sell your soul to just doing art, but you won't get too far in life just by doing that. Especially since your personality or the outlook on life might not even change...

I got this email last week:

Prolly just re-iterating what has already been said but...

I felt a bit of this not too long ago and what helped big time was starting little weekly art projects (mostly sketching and painting). I would set aside a little "me" time each day to work on personal work and its amazing how much it can re-energize you. Especially if you step outside your comfort zone and work on stuff you don't normally do.

DarthNater: I have definitely been in that frame of mind in the past, maybe I need to take more time to sketch and take photographs.

Part of the problem is that at the moment I'm working from home, which I'm sure takes its toll because I end up working crazy hours, and I end up slacking off at random intervals, so to make up for it I try and work later and later, but I'm sure that's detrimental because the whole day is then really dragged out, so I'm semi working from waking up til going to bed. I need to get out more. Taking a break does seem like the best thing to do, unfortunately its not an option until mid-May :S

Argh...

Like everyone said above, having something that isn't art related that you do on the side is a good distraction. I like to play the guitar and take day trips sometimes. Bike riding, photography, going for a light jog... stuff like that helps with "resetting" your creative juices.

Do some pushups and then go draw!

god, can we get a sticky that says 'work out, make friends, meet girls (/spend time with yours,) draw pictures'?

Post some of the work? I'm sure people here will give your artistic insight that you don't get from your friends.

how about someone dig up one of the thousand "i lost my creative spark" thread and make it a sticky?

I don't agree. you have to push through the pain and force yourself to do it.
Bit of mental torture never hurt anyone:0

guys i think your going into way too much detail and philosophical nonsense. it couldnt be much simpler.

I lost my sharpness long time ago when i meet perna and earthquake

Originally Posted by bitmap

I lost my virginity long time ago when i meet perna and earthquake

fixed.

Originally Posted by DarthNater

What really helped me and most people probably won't want to do this (especially if you're doing this for a living) is just walking away from anything art related. I took a good three month break from art after I completed work for Warm Gun and when I started back into modeling and stuff, it was like I was flooded with ideas.

If you can't do that, try something else, like drawing or photography. I hate to sound weird, but since I got this SLR, I look at things differently. It really pushed my artistic eye. You don't realize how much neat stuff is around you until you think "wow that would make a really nice photo".

Well I am still a noob in this but, shouldnt artist make other artists jelous with his/her work? I mean for example. If I keep on working on one thing and get tired for some reason or dont feel like doing it (lasts a week)

I just go watch the videos on youtube or read success stories of other 3d artists that makes me think eventually that "if that person can do it, so can I!" It puts my mind back in the entire realm of 3d modeling and learning game programming.

I find browsing the webs aimlessly for hours on end is the real killer.

As other people say, start breaking your routine. Make it a routine to break your routine.

Yeah. Browsing the web randomly is the real killer ^^ I feel like I have lost my sharpness lately, and my inspiration. I just brute force through it. I get stuck with something? I start something new. Sure, I've got shitloads of projects running, but atleast I'm not standing still :] Also, working out helps fo sho.