How to come back to art after a break

Either we have taken a deliberate break from our art, or unexpected circumstances forced us to. The strange thing about the weeks following the break is that you feel both ‘itchy’ to get back to your art, and at the same time, oddly hesitant. Maybe even nervous.

Recently I was on a long holiday in South Africa. I diligently packed my sketchbook and a selection of my favourite art supplies with high hopes that I would make art during my vacation. Sound familiar? Well, a month later I had not so much as doodled on a scrap piece of paper. Nothing. Nada. Nix.

I have no solution to make this easier for you, but I thought I’d share what I do. I’m hoping that it might help and inspire you.

Firstly, I know that these artist breaks (artist rests) are part of my process, so I have a list in my journal that is called ‘Future Work’. These are all the random ideas that pop into my mind when I’m driving, reading, showering, running, washing dishes, etc. They’re ideas I like and get immediately excited about, but I cannot work on them just yet—mostly because I am currently working on something else. So they go into my list of Future Work. I write them down because I believe every idea is worthy of being considered. I came to this realisation after reading the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (highly recommended by The Good Place). If I write the idea down, it somehow gets planted in my subconscious too and slowly percolates and develops over time.

When I’m back from a break, I inevitably have my usual list and pile of current projects I have started, am in the middle of, or wrapping up. The chaos is real! But after a break, I don’t feel ready or confident to jump back in. The simple truth is: I am intimidated by my to-do list. I have to muster the courage and motivation to approach it again.

To do this, I turn to my Future Work page in my journal. I go through the list and find the one (or more) that stands out to me. This time it was an idea about toothbrushes. This idea had been jotted down and taken root, and I felt calmly certain I could put some work into it to develop the idea. Not necessarily to finish it. Not every idea needs to become a finished artwork (I’ve learnt this the hard way: burnout). Some ideas simply want to be loosely sketched in your sketchbook and then they have worked their way out of your system. Some ideas grow very slowly over a number of years, with little sketches littering the pages of your sketchbooks from time to time. And then there are the impatient and persistent ideas that come all at once and insist that they take up all your time and energy until they are finished in their entirety (much like a toddler on a sugar rush).

Of course, you might also find that a little idea, once sketched, becomes insistent on hopping from your Future Work list to your To-Do list. Be led by your ideas, and your emotions that pour out of this back-and-forth collaboration with the ideas.

There is no particular amount of time that you will find yourself in this space. Sometimes for me, it has been less than a day, but sometimes—like right now—I’m two weeks into my post-artist-break and I’m still not ready for my To-Do list. There is no formula.

The important thing to remember (and please learn from my experience) is not to push or force yourself back into your art if you do not feel ready yet. This, in my opinion, is another form of artist abuse. But then, be aware of when you might start ignoring the little voice inside that says you're ready to get back into the thick of it. It’s a fine line, I suppose: of resting and returning to your work at the right pace.

Lastly, your Future Work list can also include things like:

• Clear out the guest room

• Paint the studio a fresh new colour

• Plant sunflowers

• Visit insert gallery

• Read/watch/listen to something you haven’t gotten around to

• Try a new recipe

Your Future Work list doesn’t need to only have art items on it. Just things you WANT to do, that will bring you a sense of joy and pride—things that are acts of you being kind to yourself. Before you know it, you’ll be returning to your To-Do list with rejuvenation and fresh perspectives.