Most artists find themselves stuck at times. Thankfully, I’ve found a method that helps me when I’m in that space. Something I enjoy.

When my creative fire burns low, or I need to take a break between projects, I schedule artist play dates. Instead of trying to start a new project, I play with art materials. Scribbling, dropping paint on paper, using a sponge to randomly dab color on paper while letting go of conscious control are some of the ways I play. Surrealists used these types of automatism techniques to connect with the unconscious.

Here are some of the ways I play using paint and paper.

DECALCOMANIA – This is a technique used by Max Ernst and other Surrealists. My method of decalcomania is to apply thick paint on paper, cover it with a sheet of acetate, gently press, then pull the acetate off carefully, creating shapes and textures on the paper. This is my personal Rorschach. I can consider it finished at that point, or paint or draw into it to embellish the images I see.

SPONGE PAINTING – Using a sponge, I randomly fill a sheet with blobs of paint. Again, if I want, I find images in the paint and embellish them.

SCRIBBLE DRAWINGS – I close my eyes and scribble on a sheet of paper until I feel like stopping. I paint or draw into the scribble to further define the images I see.

You can also play using a medium you don’t usually use. For example, anything other than paint if you are a painter. I have a box of magazine scraps I dig into for this purpose. Clay is always a good choice.

Art play can be done in groups. In the past, I hosted “Bad Art Nights” with friends. I piled scraps of paper, magazine scraps, packing material, paint, markers, glitter, fabric scraps, feathers, ribbon, string – anything that can be glued – along with glue and sturdy cardboard for backing on a table. The night’s prize would go to the person making the worst art in the judgement of the group. Someone might be sure they’d be the winner, but disappointed when it was determined that some in the group actually liked what they’d made.

Once when I hadn’t painted for awhile, I wasn’t sure how I wanted to begin again. I told myself I could make 1100 bad paintings before I started making judgements about them. I didn’t get anywhere near 1100 paintings before I got into the flow of working again.

When I’m playing, I’m not trying to create something that could end up in my portfolio. It might end up in the trash. Playing requires letting go of control, suspending judgment and expectations, and being tolerant of making messes.

However, sometimes the images that emerge while playing surprise me. They unexpectedly open new ways of seeing, trigger new ideas, and infuse old ideas with new energy. Occasionally, they end up being saved and even incorporated in a new painting.

What some people call an artist block, I call play time.

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