After reading this excellent post on the topic of “Creative Block” I decided it would make an excellent blog post… since I’ve already been slacking on the blog!

Here’s a list of what I do when I feel like I’ll never ever come up with a new idea that’s any good, which for me is basically at the start of every new piece while staring at a blank “canvas.”

• Get away from the computer/drawing table/studio. This is easy, fun and not so frustrating as sitting there blankly. This can involve the following: physical exercise, swinging in the park, the latest sports video game which right now is NHL 10, up next is MLB The Show 10, or reading a book, currently a biography of Woodrow Wilson.
• Eat something! I can work for hours and forget that little detail. The following are examples:
• In the Winter: Go make Hot Chocolate: 3 TBS Carnation Malted Milk, 1 TBS Powdered Sugar, 3/4 TBS Non Dairy Creamer, Copious amounts of powdered milk, 12-16 oz of water. Heat. Marshmallows optional. Nilla Wafers mandatory. Enjoy.
• In the Summer: Eat an Ice Cream Cone: Go to Dairy Queen, ask for twist. If I’m really mad at the pencils and brushes, go for the Blizzard of the Month.
• Year Round: Go to Qdoba, order Ancho Chile BBQ Burrito, ask for extra rice, black beans, chicken, extra BBQ, corn salsa, cheese and sour cream. It’s obvious I eat here oft, which means I constantly fight the creative block.
• Think of quitting
• Surf the inspiration blogs. I’ll post more in depth about these individual sites later.
• Look at my favorite illustrators specific sites. Currently those people are: Josh Cochran, Nate Williams, J Alex Stamos, Jessica Hische and Invisible Creature.
• I keep an “Inspiration!” folder on my HD. I drag inspirational images into it, keep it ordered by name. Fire up Bridge, drag the thumbnail slider to the largest setting. Very handy.
• Change the music currently playing to a different style.
• Thumbnail for another job/project/no reason at all.
• Convince myself not to quit
• Repeat as necessary.