Universal Advice For Aspiring Artists

Cecilia, you’re breaking my heart/ you’re shaking my confidence daily, Paul Simon sings on a track by Simon and Garfunkel. In the song, he’s personified writer’s block in the form of a woman named Cecilia and if, in fact, the duo had been going through a dry spell when they wrote it, the song must have felt triumphant: it’s become a modern classic. While writer’s block is something that afflicts well-established writers, artists and musicians, another version of it is the amateur’s fear of the blank page.

Fear of the blank page (and like writer’s block, this phrase is applicable to visual and musical arts as well) typically manifests at the outset of a vocation when you’ve decided you have a knack for something and you’d like to take it a bit more seriously. The problem with taking art seriously, however, is that that pressure tends to narrow your ability to think abstractly. Like putting effort into falling asleep, that forced focus tends to make the task of writing impossible.

If you’re a writer, maybe you’ve splurged on a vintage typewriter or subscribed to a new, innovative word processor such as Ulysses; if you’re a musician, perhaps you visited your local Long & McQuade music store and purchased some gear; if you’re an aspiring painter you might have put some expensive paints and canvases on your credit card. The point is, once you’ve invested hard-earned money in your tools, you feel a sort of anxious pressure akin to buyer’s remorse – an urgent need to produce something “good” immediately. This anxiety is extremely and nothing to worry about: take a breath, walk away from the blank page and come back to it when you’re ready it will still be there.

When you’re finally ready to gather up those tools and put them to use, keep these principles in mind in order to overcome fear of the blank page:

  • The 10 Minute Rule

A problem for many people is that they want to create their masterpiece is one lone, extended fit of genius. While famous composers are famous for this kind of fervour, and Jack Kerouac was said to have written from sunrise to sunset (with the help of amphetamines, mind you), this not necessarily a healthy approach, especially for beginners. A better approach is the ten-minute rule; if you’re procrastinating because you think you have to write something akin to The Corrections in 48-hours, just plan to write for ten minutes instead, aiming to get down an opening paragraph. After ten minutes, you’ll likely want to continue, if not, no big deal – do another ten minutes tomorrow. Slowly increase your gains and work a little bit every day: eventually you’ll have your great American novel.

  • Beginner’s Luck/ First Thought Best Thought

While Paul Simon may still struggle with Cecilia, and Zadie Smith probably still has bouts of writer’s block, there is an opposite force that actually helps amateurs get off the ground. When you’re new to a craft and you’ve developed a tool-kit, but no baggage or fixed habits, a wide world is open to you. Often people starting on their first project will stumble into rich material as if by accident. If you learn to trust yourself, you can develop and refine this material into your first success. There is often a self-deprecating urge to chuck out your early drafts, but seasoned artists will tell you: often the first thought is the best though – trust your gut, young grasshopper!