art block sokoban

the term "art block" refers to the phenomenon where an artist finds they can't draw something due to a metaphorical mental "block". a lot of people represent it as a huge monolithic box that has no footholds and is too heavy to move. oftentimes i've seen artist draw it as a physical weight on top of them, like a cartoony 10-ton square on top of the artist, crushing them.

relatedly, the term sokoban refers to a specific subgenre of puzzle game characterized by sliding boxes around to reach your goal. often these are wooden crates, but can take other forms, like ice, or iron...

so in this way, "art block sokoban" would refer to finding a way to move the art block around to get to your goal. let's identify what these blocks are so we can push them!

let's start with the perceived workload. in the past, whenever artfight would roll around, i'd find myself making a good many things, but then burning out midway through, or losing motivation because of all the revenges i'd "have to" finish to "catch up" on "lost progress".

artfight, at its core, is about art trades. you draw an "attack" for one person, then they draw a "revenge" for you, or so the idea goes. other times, someone draws for you, and so of course you should draw for them, right? but the idea of drawing for every single person who draws for you gets quickly overwhelming when you start getting attacks from others. they pile up, like a tall stack of papers, but with the weight of the 10-ton box.

so the question seems to be, "how can i get all of these done in time for the end of artfight?", followed by questions like "is it okay to draw a bunch of low-effort ones, or would it be rude to do that if they put more effort into theirs?" and thus begins the downward spiral.

so let's rephrase this to something more constructive: "what attacks do i want to do?"

this sounds arbitrary, but listen... you need to stop giving people exactly what you receive, or you'll wear yourself out. it should be a moral imperative not to overwork yourself for others, especially since the event is - after all - for fun! and if you're stuck feeling like it's Work, then you'll never get to the Fun! and that sucks so bad and makes me cry to think about!

so let's reframe it: artfight is for drawing as a gift to others, no strings attached, no expectations for "paying back" your "investment". stop thinking "but what if they're disappointed i didn't do anything for them?", because that sets you up for sadness. instead, think about it the opposite way: "if i draw for someone, it's not because i want them to draw something for me, but because i want to make them smile." ... or whatever feels the most applicable.

the other situation is an outlier, whether it feels like it or not. like, this random person drawing for you could be thinking, "oh they better draw me something back, that's the only reason i'm drawing for them." but that sounds fucking rude and lame and stupid, right? exactly. so it follows that, in 99% of cases, they're not going to think that. and if they do think that, they're rude and lame and stupid for it! and that's not on you.

while you're internalizing that... let's identify some of those other boxes so we can push em away.

firstly: are you actually having fun? that's the most important part. our brains are built to find enrichment, but if you do things the same way every time with the same proper workflow, you might find yourself getting bored - yes, bored! because you're not trying anything new.

even aside from boredom, you might just straight up feel like what you're trying to do is impossible, or just "feels wrong". like, you try to do a pencil sketch, but it just won't turn out, or it feels "wrong" or "off" no matter what you do to fix it, or you don't feel confident in making the shape right...

i have a nice solution (or "tool") for you that can be used in both situations!

are you ready? drumroll...

try something else!

if you're going through the same process or workflow each time, you'll never get to try anything new. that's not to say you need to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, every time you approach your canvas. pick one new thing to try with everything you make; in this way, you're not stuck in or outside of the comfort zone, but rather, you're walking along the boundary to see if it will grow outwards or not.

also, if you're worried about failing at this, it turns out that you will "get better" just by doing something new that feels fun and appealing to you! you don't need to be a master at art. you can, and should, draw what feels comfortable, and if it becomes less comfortable, you should try changing something about it until it feels better.

for example, some things i've done:

• try an unconventional art program (or a program that wasn't built for art)
• do something traditional/with your hands (papercraft, cutout drawings posed in scenery, etc etc), or something that has a sensory input that isn't purely visual
• forget lines, just blob colors and try shaping them with your eraser!
• limit your color palette
• mess around with wavey lines/strokes, or a mix of wavy/angular
• introduce a new factor of mixed media (print it out and decorate it with pens, cut out drawings and paste them together...)
• figure out an element you want to focus on (background, color, use of angle, lighting) and exaggerate it greatly
• add some random scribbles on top
• turn off/on the pen stabilization in your digital workspace of choice
• process the image in some novel way (resize it, scale it, rotate it) and work from there
• merge all your layers and work on just one

and, of course, if nothing seems to be working... you might be in an inspiration phase!

your motivational drive, as an artist, comes in waves. if we mapped it out, it would look a bit like a sine wave, going up and down. this doesn't necessarily correlate to "getting better" and "getting worse"; instead, the up and down should be considered "implementation" and "inspiration"!

in an inspiration phase, you should consider looking at art you like and trying to figure out what you like about it exactly. maybe you like how someone textures their work - how do they do it, and how could you replicate it? what kind of colors do they use, and how might you emulate their coloring process? stuff like that will give you a head start on whatever you want to do next. they call this "studying", which is apt, but i also think it's normal to wonder "why does this thing work as well as it does?"

you can even take that concept to artwork you made, and think: what did i do here that works really well? ignore any of the flaws you see for right now, they will distract you. just focus on aspects you think worked really well. is it the color palette? the posing or framing? maybe the light, or the way it fills the canvas? all of these are helpful for your growth as an artist!

so there's some boxes and the ways i've found helpful when moving them. draw what you want, when you want, respect your own time and effort, and stop thinking about what you "owe". if you worry about the outcome, and how many times you "need" to reach the outcome, you'll be setting yourself up for failure. give yourself a foothold!

	listening to: rotteen - dopefish
	playing: PEAK
	feeling: temperate
	outside it is: sunny