WiP Wednesday: Crushing Creative Blocks

What if your work-in-progress just isn't working? From a "constant painting" regimen to a social hour, five artists share their tips for chiseling away at those creative blocks that can get in the way.

CHIP, CHIP, BOOM!

Here are just a few submissions from this week's "The Ask." If you haven't had a chance to submit yours, there's still time. Just click above or right here!

I don't put the pressure on to create masterpieces, but rather approach art as a means of release and meditation. Trying a new medium, watching a video or signing up for a workshop all help me find creativity.
— Sheri Peters

Value games: I'll imagine an everyday object in a "wild" colour, then picture the scene in complementary colours. Turquoise oven? Which shades and values of orange are the counter, cabinets, backsplash? The pots, fridge, etc? Imagine values for depth, shadows, reflections.
— Sandra Woods

I do something creative. Anything. It may involve planting a plant and be very conscious of seeing while doing an action. I look at great art that I like, that others have done. Or I pull out an old painting and redo it without concern, perhaps try a new approach to how I would paint.
— Joan Farrenkopf

Sometimes I resort to making random lines, tones, shapes — whatever marks my pencil is capable of — on a clean sheet of paper. I then look at it from every possible orientation or distance, the way I look at clouds with no predetermined thoughts (sometimes I'll even wad it up). I wait for something to appear (trying to force this doesn't help). Once I have seen something, no matter how crazy it might be, I try to bring it into existence by adding whatever it is lacking (line, tone, shape, etc.) so it becomes visible to anyone. I then work to draw it into a scene. Sometimes this helps; sometimes it's just fun.
— Tom Wood