It’s very easy to get bored with your medium. More than once have I stopped drawing because all I did was use the same medium for weeks on end. If this happens you can either quit using it for awhile and use something else, or my favorite solution – try a new technique.

For some that’s really hard to do because they are set in their ways, but even working in more bold colors can help change your mind on what you’re working with. Another idea is to work my abstractly. If you usually work in a very realistic sense try and do something completely different. Use giant strokes in a painting if you don’t typically. Try something called “pointillism” which is making a picture out of a lot of small dots. If you work with clay add some different textures to your piece. There are multiple ways that you can change the medium that you’re working with. It can even give you new ideas for new pieces.

If you get bored with your medium it can become annoying to work with and make you want to do something else entirely. Try playing around with it and having fun with it. You can gain entire new ideas for projects and expand your artwork as a whole.

There are times in college where you will not see eye to eye with a professor. There are some professors you won’t get along with throughout the entire class. It happens. In the art world there is no way you can agree on everything. Everyone has their own different styles and ideas, and differences are going to be brought up.

The best way to deal with this is to not argue. Yes they may not like the way you are doing something, but maybe, in their own way, they are trying to teach you something. No, it is not your normal way of doing things, but maybe that is the point. Your professor has been working in the field a lot longer than you have so they have seen it all. They want to watch you succeed. This is your time to learn from them. You may not want to hear what they have to say, but taking it into consideration may help your artwork in the long run.

Try what they say to do. Use different colors or try up a different stroke with your brush. Mix different glazes and use different fabric. If you don’t like the final product then throw it in the back of your closet and find a way to like the next one. The professor will have taught you something new and they’ll see that you were willing to try it. Fighting them on something may result on you missing a whole way of doing things that you could really love and enjoy.

An art career doesn’t mean you’re never going to make money. Like every field there are different jobs that you could end up making a lot of money, or none at all. Keep in mind that ever career is a risk – not just one in art.

But until you make it, don’t quit your day job. I’ve been selling art for years and I still am a waitress at night. You gotta pay the bills somehow, especially when in college. If you’re selling your stuff then you’re one step ahead of some others, but that doesn’t mean your career is taking off and you can now quit that crappy minimum wage job you had in high school. Build up your finances and your bank account, and quit when you CAN not when you want to. Yes, it sucks, but unfortunately it’s life. And just because you’re talented doesn’t mean you have access to the world’s riches. You can get there one day, but not just yet.

Sometimes I get stuck with what I like to call “artist’s block.” It’s like writers block, but in art. Every artist gets it sometimes. You’ve stared at a painting (or whatever form of art) for so long that you just have no idea where to go next or what else you could possibly do with it. This is when it’s best to put the paintbrush (or whatever tool you’re using) down and walk away. Continuing and trying to get ideas and make something work is just asking for a mess up with your piece which will lead to even more frustration.

Tips to overcome artist’s block:

Take a walk: Go get a coffee or some lunch and clear your head. Continuing to stare at a project is just going to continue to frustrate you. Walking away for 30 minutes to an hour can give you a new perspective and new ideas.

Draw out some sketches or work on a different project: Working on something besides that piece can also help clear your head. Sometimes stopping for a long period of time is best. You can work with a different medium and get away from the project. Coming back to it later can give you a totally different idea on how to fix the problem.

Sometimes you love a subject you’re working on, but sometimes you just can’t stretch an idea anymore. It’s hard to give up on your idea and can be even harder to find a new one, but this is the opportunity to start over and find new things to focus on. Yes, I know you loved drawing animals everyday, but move on. Try something you’ve never done before that is completely unrelated. Like people, or plants, or in my case donuts. You can always come back to your original focus when you come up with new ideas or a new issue on the topic is discovered. Letting a topic go and moving on is part of the art world. It happens to all of us, it’s simply part of the life.

When this happens to you look up local news topics for issues in the world if that’s something you’re interested in. Look for ideas in nature or (once again, in my case) look at your local grocery store. Inspiration is everywhere. You just need to look.

Use your free time as inspiration for your art. Take the things around you, lessons or experiences in your life as things to create. Use your “ordinary, everyday” life to help you create and soon ideas will begin to come easily to you.

For example in my painting classes I focus on body image and bullying – topics that I have studied since high school, and that I have seen people hurt and affected from. Experiencing and studying these topics in my everyday life has lead me to create multiple different paintings relating back to the topic.

Taking your everyday life and putting it into your art can lead to your art being more than just something to look at. This will give it meaning and stories. While some people just like to look at art and think it is pretty, the art world wants something more than that. Professors want something more than “pretty”. They want to look at a painting a feel something, and see a story in it.

Learn to make your art tell a story before you go to college, and your professors will be impressed with your capability to look beyond a good image. It is not always an easy process to learn, but once you figure out how it will come naturally to you.

Every artist works in their own way and own process. This is your time to find yours and change it to find what best fits you. Some people like to work in silence, others with music, some with people around and others when they are alone. Some work from photographs and others enjoy still life. It’s all up to you on how you want to work and where and when. Are you okay with showing up to class in nice clothes and working in a dress? Great then do it. Do you work better while wearing an oversized hoodie and sweat pants? Also okay!

When you find your process stick to it. Don’t let others tell you how to work because everyone is different. Your process will help you become a more successful artist because you will find it easier and more enjoyable to work on your pieces. The more enjoyment that you have the better your artwork will be. It will make your artwork an escape for you instead of a chore. Your professors will also see this in you and your work, and will keep it in mind that you are a hard worker and enjoy yourself while considering your grades and how they view you as a student.

First rule in Art School: AVOID THE CO OP STORE!

Yes, I know, you are a freshman with no car to get to the local art supplies store. Trust me  taking the bus or asking a friend for a ride will save you money on your supplies instead of walking across campus to the over priced CO-OP. Sometimes there are things you will need to buy from the store that the class requires you, but if you don’t need to buy it from there…don’t!

Second rule in Art School: You don’t need the expensive stuff just yet.

I have had many classes that I have bought the cheapest of the cheap in my supplies. Michael’s has its own brand called ArtistLoft. Not the best quality, but not bad either, and it’s definitely cheaper. You are on your way to being a professional, but you aren’t there yet. So don’t spend money on a $20 tube of paint that you don’t even know how to use yet. It’s a waste and not worth it. If you are set on getting good supplies wait until you know what you’re doing. If you want the expensive paints, get the cheap stuff first until you learn how to use it and not just waste the paint. Once you find your technique and start painting stuff you really want THEN go and get the expensive stuff.

 

In college there is no need to be the best at every medium. In fact the person who feels the need to be good at everything and take every single type of class is kind of the worst. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying to not be the best at something. If you’re great at what you do then that’s awesome, and continue to succeed in that. But don’t get upset or mad when you don’t know how to do something either, and never be afraid to ask a professor or other student for help with it. College is your chance to learn new styles and techniques, and not asking is just going to hurt you.

However you shouldn’t be that student that puts others work down or criticizes others either. If someone is not good at something don’t point it out by being rude or making unhelpful comments like “this isn’t good”. Give them what we call constructive criticism. This means that instead of putting down their work you give them feedback like “maybe if you added more shadow to this part” or “using this color may brighten up the piece”. Just because you are one of the more talented students in the class does not give you the right to be rude to others who are not. Remember that everyone has their specialties and there may come a time that you are in a class that they consider their niche, and you could be the one asking for help.