Coming out the other side of my artistic block
A time of growth, inspiration & creativity
I’ve been wondering for the past year or so: just how do I want to use Substack? I already share so much on Patreon and YouTube, so is another platform really necessary? What I have discovered through the few posts I’ve published on Substack is that I really like it here. I’ve managed to build a community of over 1,000 subscribers (thank you!), and I’m not really sure how. But if you like reading, I’ll keep posting! I find this to be a calm and inspiring space on the internet - something Instagram really isn’t these days - so I think I’m going to stay and see how it goes.
Today’s post is a little bit of an update on the creative block I wrote about in my last post. I mentioned then that I was coming out of the other side of it, but since then the creativity is really flowing again! It turns out that a creative block was just the thing I needed to evolve my work and become inspired again. It was incredibly hard while I was going through it, but it’s been worth all of the heartache and effort. I’m sharing just a couple of new pieces on here today, and all of my recent work will be available in an upcoming shop update I’m currently preparing for (I have a mailing list that notifies people about those).
I’d actually love to share some sketchbook pages with you too. My sketchbook work looks quite different to the art I usually make; it’s looser, more experimental, and I’m really trying not to be too precious with my sketchbooks anymore, and to use them as sketchbooks are meant to be used. Maybe I could publish a post on here with some sketchbook pages, but for now, here’s just one recent page.
This was from a Zoom session with my Patreon members. We get together a couple of times each month, once for a timed drawing session and once for an art & craft hangout. Both are a lot of fun! I’m really enjoying using this concertina sketchbook, called the ‘Octopus’ by Seawhite. It feels less restrictive than a normal sketchbook, and the paper seems to be able to handle everything I throw at it!
As well as filming exclusive art process videos for my Patreon members, I’ve published a couple of videos on my YouTube channel recently too. I’ll add them here in case you’d like to watch them, or perhaps even paint along with me! This one is a fun watercolour exercise if you just want to paint for relaxation:
And this one shares the process of one of my loose watercolour landscapes that I like to paint these days as a break from my more precise, detailed works:
I’ll leave it there for today - I never want these posts to be too long as I know that we all have busy lives!
I hope that you enjoyed this little update and I’ll see you soon. Natasha xxx
I love a peek at artists’ sketchbooks…always so interesting and inspiring x
I am so glad you are coming out your creative block, Natasha. Your new work is really lovely. I always enjoy seeing the progression in your art journey. I wonder if the block was due to the enormous amount of time and effort you give to your platforms, particularly as you have been concentrating on Patreon. Your platforms must take a huge amount of time and effort. Having said that, I love substack too. It's a lovely quiet place. Please keep posting.
Lots of love
Lesley x