This post was originally published on the My Peacetree blog. Read more about these archives.
Begin.
It’s a word much, much easier said than done, especially when it comes to art. Behold the dreaded First Page above! It is white, beautiful, smooth, clean, and unmarked – but it is also ordinary, silent, with nothing to say, waiting for you to transform it into something only your mind can imagine and only your hands can create.
Are you intimidated by the White Page? You are not alone!
Try this: take a deep breath and close your eyes. Reach around you, and use whatever art supply you first find to make a mark on the paper. It can be small and quickly done, though it will make a bigger impact if you push yourself to make a larger mark.
Now open your eyes – and hopefully this mark will break the spell of the First Page and you will be free to explore, play, and experiment!
If you find yourself still stuck for ideas, give one (or more!) of these a go:
- Make a list: things you can see, things you can hear, things you can feel.
- Splash on some color: use markers, crayons, watercolors, acrylics, pens, colored pencils, or highlighters.
- Write one word in large letters across two pages.
- Add some texture: glue in images, scrap paper, receipts, tickets, bits of newspaper, and tissue paper.
- Drip watered down paint or India ink across the pages.
- Cover a whole page with your writing, without stopping.
- Do a blind contour drawing: while looking at an object, try to trace its outline without lifting your pen or looking at the page.
With practice, beginning a page becomes easier and easier, and the battle of starting a new journal becomes easier. Promise!
Now go give it a try, and see how brave and proud you feel when the First Page is dripping in color.
