Creative Breaks | Take a Moment Before you Re-dip

With only 3 days left of Inktober, you might find yourself feeling creatively drained, uninspired, or out of ideas. Whether you've created art for each day of October so far (hats off to you) or you've participated in the half challenge, it's completely normal to feel like you're running out of creative ideas or are experiencing a lack of motivation.

I'm here to let you know that these may be signs for you to take a break. Refuel yourself. Observe. Relax. There's no need to feel guilty in spending some time away from your pens if you need it.

Why Are Creative Breaks Important?

I always believe that quality exceeds quantity. If you post your art on social media, you may feel the need to post continuously and right on schedule. This could mean posting once a week, twice a week, once a day, etc. When you start to feel forced or rushed into posting, that's when you may notice the quality of your art declining. On social media, your content is far more important than the number of times you post during the day, week, or month.

Feeling uninspired and lacking the crazy creative ideas you used to have is known as a creative block. When you're in a creative block, it's important you give yourself time to get back into your groove. We're not robots or superheroes, admitting that you need some time off is healthy and completely human!

I guarantee giving yourself a rest will very much make you more productive. Our mind needs time to refuel in order to function. To avoid that physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, take a creative break when you know it's needed!

What you can do During your Creative Break

Scroll through Social Media

Simply going through artwork by others instead of solely focusing on your own is one way to spend your creative break. Seeing work by other artists often gives us a source of inspiration that we can later apply to our art. My personal favorite spots to look are Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Read a Book

I enjoy reading a lot of self-help books, my favorites being The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Good Vibes Good Life by Vex King. I note down important thoughts and quotes that are mentioned in these books and later incorporate what I've learned in my art.

Pay Attention to your Surroundings

With technology and social media being so prominent in our lives, we often forget to take a moment and admire the world around us. Simply going on a walk, bike, or car ride can go a long away.

As we approach the final days of Inktober, it's more than okay to take a creative break if need be. Don't think too much about it! Just do it.