Why are we reluctant to sketch (sometimes)? How can we cope with it?
In this article I am going to show why sometimes we are hesitant to sketch. Is hesitation or procrastination a bad thing? How can we deal with the situation?
To sketch or not sketch?
Before you start sketching you may find you are sometimes, and even always reluctant to do. People usually address this as a kind of procrastination or laziness, and tried to seek ways to become more productive. Different kinds of emotions like no mood in doing, fear and worry can be involved, while our reaction can be varied from forcing us to do and see, or trying to escape from sketching. But we still have to deep dive the reasons behind, and not to judge this is a bad thing.
Reactions and emotions can carry important implications!
Reactions and emotions come before words most of the time as we foresee possible danger, cost, limitations and challenges. Words come later simply because our brain is designed to avoid bad things and even save our lives by default, and words take time to elaborate. That’s why we may misunderstand emotions are always irrational, but if we give some time, we will see they are not and they have meanings. Time will tell. For the case of not willing to do (more) sketching, we may be afraid of making mistakes because of difficulties, or maybe we fear that bad artworks can waste our time.
Try to do a test: sketch something you consider as difficult like drawing a crowded busy high street. Can you tell your feeling? Struggling? Difficult? Too challenging so that you don’t want to give it a try? But can you specify why you struggle or feel it would be difficult? You may or may not.
Then observe what happens if you sketch: both positive and negative things can occur. Positive: you are less worrying as you think, and you have less fear when doing compared to before. Negative: your fear is valid because you are able to explain why you fear of sketching a such complicated picture — a lot of pedestrians can distract you, and when you want to draw an architecture opposite you, a big truck stops in front of you!
I would say fear and procrastination can be real, but just not perfectly because on one hand we just don’t want to feel ashamed and do want to avoid failures; on the other hand, some challenges and difficulties do exist, and our body helps us filter what we should do and shouldn’t do and emotions come before words to give us strong signals.
Try to see why you have the feelings instead of judging them as irrational
Of course the ideal situation is that we have positive thoughts and energy and momentum all the time, but don’t forget we are human beings not robots, thus it is normal to have fluctuated but not average performance. When we think we may have downward performance, we may need to stop for a while.
Some so-called negative emotions are not as negative as we think. They are negative because we name them. They can lead you to become more powerful if you choose to. Try to see why instead of saying you are wrong.
It may not be the right time to do now.
Emotion can, to a certain extent, guide us what to do now. We may not be really ready to do right now, while we can do something else. That’s fine and you don’t need to force you to achieve a goal which is not comfortable for you. But you may find it easier to do later.
Even though I love sketching, I can feel less motivated to do sometimes. I remember in June and July this year (2024, see On my recent identity crisis as an artist) I didn’t want to sketch because I didn’t know why I had to sketch so many, and I was frustrated with not much social recognition. As a result I no longer required myself to draw, say during a short trip I usually add something on my sketchbook, but I ended up doing nothing. However, there was something I could do like enjoying my trip, taking photos, having a good sleep in a hotel room etc.
After a period of break, I thought I realized something and started drawing again: both productively and creatively. When emotions tell you to stop, stop until you are ready. Emotions help you pick the best timing for doing something. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t start something as early as possible.
If you are not convinced, try to think in opposite way: picture if you force yourself to do immediately, will you really enjoy and reach peak performance? Maybe or maybe not. You can be painful and due to the painful experience, even though you finally do it, you will give up next time and even forever. What I want to say is: if you focus on sustainability (meaning you are willing to do in the very long run and even covering your whole lifetime) you don’t mind stopping for a while in exchange of better (more joyful) experience and performance.
Do it later. Do other things first or take other steps before doing it.
If you don’t want to, just don’t go ahead until you feel you are ready.
As I said above, take a break (On my recent identity crisis as an artist). Do other things else and even go travelling. The earlier I take a break, the earlier I can go back to the track and run faster. Translation: I can keep my motivation much longer and I am more able to reach peak performance and creativity.
During a break you can still enjoy so many things even like looking at the sky, enjoying a journey on a train. Doing nothing is not doing nothing but is cultivating your positive mood, motivation, discovery. It’s like recovery after workout.
Maybe there are also steps necessary to be taken before sketching your next big thing too: that can be sketching small things first. Say the busy street mentioned above, what you may need to do can be practising quick sketch of individual pedestrians, or trying to sketch a much smaller area of the street first.
Remember sketching is a kind of creative activity, not a productive task in a factory. You don’t need to feel ashamed of your laziness (if you are really lazy). Even though you work yourself, there’s no obligation to produce more. But you have an obligation to enjoy creating something.
If you are really lazy, your laziness is helping you prioritise tasks. It is facilitating you what to do and to not do at the moment and lead you to the better timing to create.
