art inspiration professional artist habits artist mindset

How to Get Motivation as an Artist

By Milan Art Institute on October 2, 2019

Back

Creating art is one of the most fulfilling things you can do. But it isn’t always easy. Let’s face it, we all go through blocks. We all lose motivation at one point or another and need something or someone to inspire us. But I’m here to say you can’t wait for inspiration to strike, you just have to create and it will come. You have to work when you don’t feel like it and these 4 essential tips will help you do that:

1. Continuously remind yourself of your dreams and aspirations

Remember the reason you decided to be an artist. There was a time when everything came into focus and you knew you were meant to be a creator. You might have always loved art, but there was something that changed it from a hobby to a full-time profession. Maybe you didn’t ever want to work for a corporation again and were tired of working for someone else. Or maybe you have a vision to reach people all over the world and influence people with your artwork. Whatever your reason is, it will keep you going when resistance attacks you. Your dreams are the key to your future. Always remember the passion that got you started. This is your art motivation.

2. Set goals

Create goals for yourself for each week, month, and year to maintain your motivation. And don’t stop there: create goals for yourself in 5 years or 10 years from now. Your weekly and monthly goals will be working towards your 1 year goals which will be working towards your 5 years goals, and so on. Have specific goals and general goals. Your future goals could be something like, “I want to sell my artwork and be painting full-time as my main source of income.” Then you would make monthly goals of how many paintings you want to create and how many shows you want to do, or galleries you want to be in. If you have those future goals in mind every day, you will be inspired to continue creating.

3. Make schedules

Weekly and monthly schedules are very important in following your goals. If you set a goal for the month, it isn’t just going to magically get accomplished, especially if you are having trouble staying motivated. A schedule will help you actually walk it out and get it completed. Sometimes, a schedule can be too broad, so it is better to create a task list for each week and each day. Every night before you go to sleep, already have an idea and a to-do list of what you will do the next day. Daily tasks are important so that you aren’t just walking through your days with no idea of what to do. It might seem difficult or useless at first, but seeing all of your goals accomplished and your dreams come to life, you will really appreciate the seemingly silly ritual of creating a daily to-do list.

4. Love what you do

You can create all the schedules and to-do lists that you want, but if you don’t truly love what you do, you won’t do it. Find what makes you happy, but don’t think that every minute of it will be pure happiness. Sometimes you have to do tasks that you don’t enjoy, like making a spreadsheet to organize your sales or making a website to sell your artwork, but ultimately they bring you closer to accomplishing your dreams and aspirations. That is what it means to do what you love. Doing things you don’t love for a bigger purpose that you do love.

The strongest motivator that will pull you through your daily struggles is a greater purpose. Creating goals and schedules help to make them happen, but the first step is to find something that keeps you passionate. Something that makes you do everything with excellence, even when you don’t enjoy it. Find what you are passionate about and make your dreams become your reality!

artist courses online