When you open your art journal or sketchbook, do ever freak out at the sign of a blank page? Getting started is one of the hardest things, and we’re often blocked by feelings of perfectionism and a desire to nail it. This can come from having ideas that don’t match our current skill set or wanting to make something that others will value. If you have this feeling, it’s completely normal. You likely know that, but it doesn’t make getting started any easier, does it?
Maybe we want to make the right marks, create a gorgeous art journal, and make work that we’re proud of. Of course, amazing things don’t usually come out that on the first go. Making mistakes, messes, and visual garbage are actually necessary to reach an idea that we want to celebrate and share with the world.
This experimental art prompt is designed to help. It takes the guess work out of perfect starts, forces us to make a mark without worrying about it too much, and it’s playful. This last word is key. When we play, we open ourselves up to countless ideas without worrying too much about the outcome. Process over product and all that jazz.
So, here we go with painting or drawing 50 different vertical lines…