Speed Bumps on the Highway of Art
- Mick477
- Oct 14, 2019
- 2 min read
I’m Mick Mastal and Today, October 15, is my day to give my input to the creative process. I could probably go on for days about it if given the chance.
I have been making art for a number of years and have studied under some fabulous artists. Creativity has always had mental blocks that got in my way, frustrating and discouraging me in my path to becoming and artist. I can recall one instructor at Wayne State that when I confronted him with my discouragements and frustrations would give me a cold look and say “Just go sit in the corner and make art.”
It seemed like a cruel thing to say to a budding art student but thinking back it was the best thing he could have said. I think back to that whenever I get in a creative slump, or Speed Bump, as I prefer to call them.
Right now I am teaching a class at the local Community College titled Exploring Ink Drawing. My students “suffer” from the same pains we all did, or do. They start out and things aren’t going the way they want and are ready to chuck it all. I make it clear that in my class there is no right, and there is no wrong. We are being creative and that’s all that counts. Nobody is allowed to use the word “mistake“. Erasers are NOT permitted in my classes. If it’s not what is planned, figure out how to use it. I was a goldsmith for a lot of years and one wise old timer told me he that the sign of a good craftsman was his ability to use mistakes. Good theory.
When a student gets to that “speed bump” I will just say ok, you think you screwed up you can’t do any worse, now let’s see what you can do with it. Sometimes you need to get back from your work. A student this evening thought her work was terrible. Told her start a new one. She did...I took a picture of the one she hated. Waited a half hour and showed her the picture I took. “Ya! That’s what I wanted mine to look like!...Oh wait! That’s mine!” Moral; don’t beat yourself up. It just might be good art!
At the moment the weight of “perfection“ is lifted from them they continue on to do a good work of art.
Also they are not allowed to throw any work out. We pull them al out at the end of the term and they see first hand that that Speed Bump wasn’t so scary. Of course they will put me on the line and ask me “What do you think is the best thing you have ever created?” My answer...the next one I do. Michelangelo summed it all up when he said “Ancora Imparo”, translated, “I Am Still Learning”
One more thing. A friend of mine suggested I write a book on drawing. What I did was got a journal with a blank cover and lettered on the cover “Art 101-Draw Something Every Day....Even If It Sucks”. She loved it. Had to make several more for her friends
I appreciate the reminder that the slump is part of the job, not proof you’re “not creative.” When I’m in one, I’ll set a tiny rule (like “one page, no judging”) the way I’d follow a simple prompt on https://stylelooklab.com — just enough structure to get going again.
Not allowing erasers is bold, but I can see how it teaches commitment — once the mark is there, you have to negotiate with it. I’ve even tried “style constraint” exercises like using a Ghibli-style photo filter just to loosen up and stop aiming for perfect realism.
The “figure out how to use it” part is such a good craft mindset — it’s basically turning a derailment into a design choice. Funny enough, I’ve seen that same attitude in product folks over on hrefgo when they talk about shipping imperfectly and learning from what happens next.
I like the ban on the word “mistake” — it changes the whole vibe from judging to exploring. In a totally different context, I’ve leaned on things like a mEq to mg calculator when I didn’t trust my own math, and it’s the same idea: keep moving, reduce the panic, adjust as you go.
That “sit in the corner and make art” line sounds harsh, but I get it — sometimes the only way past the slump is to keep your hands moving until your brain catches up. When I’m stuck I’ll do something low-stakes for 10 minutes, kind of like a quick puzzle break, then come back to the page.