Overcoming that mental block or that lack of inspiration can be extremely hard! I would like this to be the beginning of something to help all types of artists and hobbyists to overcome that barrier and continue to do what it is that calls you.
Your art work is a form of self-expression. Every piece that you create is unique to you, I ask that you appreciate even what you think may be the worst piece ever as that (a unique piece of you).

1.) As a rule of thumb—never throw out anything that you create, no matter how bad you think it is. In some way, you have learned from it, you can look back at it later and it may serve as inspiration to recreate it with all that you have recently learned and it may be your next masterpiece. In the very least, you may look at it later on and that piece that you created and thought was so horrible will show you just how far you have really come.

2. ) Keep a folder on your computer of work that has always served to inspire you. If this work has inspired you before, it may inspire you again later.

3.) Blank paper, blank canvas, an empty memory card on the camera—it is all very intimidating. The blinking cursor at the top of MS Word is intimidating. Your mind is blank and you’re sitting there “I want to draw”, “I want to write”, “I want to paint”, “I want to take pictures”, “I want to create”—same question “But what?”—just start anywhere… just start typing, writing, painting, drawing, taking pictures—you will end up with something, at the very least a bunch of lines, colors, photos, something you can go through and say “at least I accomplished something” instead of hours going by and you are still staring at nothing. It is better to start somewhere and have something, than start nowhere and have nothing.

4.) There will be something there blocking you… if you can write it out, dump that negative energy… like a journal. Let it go. Some people can do it through their own forms of art, others, this will serve as a block…

Famous artists that inspire me: Picasso (everybody knows of him), Hilary Brace (charcoal), Robert Longo (charcoal) – These are only a few…
Here on DeviantArt: PixieCold [link] Sandara [link] -- Only a couple here, too. I’m not giving them all away just yet

And… some food for thought:
“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery. I don’t think people are born artists; I think it comes from a mixture of your surroundings, the people you meet, and luck.” ~ Francis Bacon

“ I constantly have to negotiate with my doubts.” ~ Peter Doig

If you don’t think that you can do something—it is all the more reason to try! I have accomplished some of my best works through doubting myself and fighting that doubt to do it anyways.

Please, share with the group who inspires you, what inspires you, and how you get past those mental blocks. I know how hard it can be when your mind is blank and something blank is staring you in the face. I hope this blog is the first of many to help keep our creative juices flowing and our burning passion for our artistic ability going. Thank you all for reading and let me know what you think!