5 Minutes to jumpstart your art”

“Into the Light”, sketchbook practice by artist Natalie Eve Marquis

Ever find yourself itching to create something amazing, only to end up at the art supply store instead of in front of your canvas? Trust me, I’ve been there too! It used to happen like clockwork – the moment inspiration strikes, suddenly I was convinced I needed that perfect brush or that special shade of paint to bring my vision to life. But here’s the kicker: all those shopping trips were just a sneaky way of putting off the actual creating.

The real reason you’re not doing your art

What I learned from reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is that this was my inner gremlin’s way of keeping me from doing my art. Steven calls it “resistance.” Why do we resist our gifts and our passions? Well, that could be a whole other book! The why isn’t really important anyway. The most important thing is to first NOTICE the resistance. The can be tricky to spot because they often seem like “good reasons" such as:

• I have to clean the toilets or fold the clothes first.

• I don’t have enough time to start a new project.

• I need a year off first (or a weekend or six hours).

• I need a new paint brush.

• People would think I’m selfish if I just dropped everything and did my art.

• I’m not talented enough (it’s a lie!)

A sure fire way to overcome resistance

After you become aware of the resistance, the next most important thing you must do — is to pick up your pencil RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT and draw for 5 minutes. Get out your paints and paint for 5 minutes. Open a Goggle doc and work on your novel for 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes of doing your art, you still feel like shopping for art supplies (or cleaning the toilet), than by all means do so. But my bet is that after a few moments of painting or writing, you’ll find yourself enjoying the process — and better yet, you’ll find that Mr. Resistance has stomped off to find some other sucker.