Stay Motivated!
Lately, I’ve been feeling a little unmotivated. After pouring all my energy into creating my newest course, Embracing Tissue Paper, I’ve hit that familiar post-project slump where I don’t feel like doing anything at all.
Motivation has been on my mind, so I asked my creative circle what keeps them inspired. Almost everyone said the same thing:
picking up the camera or turning on the wax.
Both actions awaken the senses—feeling the camera in your hands or smelling the sweet, warm aroma of beeswax.
It made me reflect on how we approach making art. Do you:
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Walk into the studio with a clear plan?
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Or commit to a set amount of time and let the work evolve naturally?
My analytical side always wants a plan. A blueprint. A mapped-out piece. But honestly? That kills the magic. It leaves no space for the artwork to breathe, shift, or surprise me.
I always tell my students to enter the studio without a plan—to allow serendipity to take the lead. Lately, I’ve been doing the same. Instead of planning to “finish” something, I commit to the time—and let the piece unfold organically. No pressure. No expectations. Just curiosity and wax.
Feeling stuck and unmotivated can feel like a mental prison. The more you think about being unmotivated, the heavier it becomes. But small sensory rituals—like turning on the wax and smelling that comforting beeswax scent—have helped me reconnect to my practice.
Here are some simple ways to boost your motivation when your creative spark feels dim:
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Surround yourself with objects that inspire you
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Browse folders or screenshots of images you love
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Sit in your creative space for a set period with no expectations
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Turn on your wax and let the scent welcome you
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Schedule 30–60 minutes just to “be” in the studio
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Ask yourself “What if…?” and let curiosity guide you
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Stay open to serendipity
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Release the pressure of making something “good”—just create space
Motivation is a cycle, and every artist moves through highs and lows. What matters is creating room for possibility.
Let me hear from you. How do you stay motivated? I’d love for you to join the conversation.
Be well….be creative,
Always great ideas. Thanks Clare
I had to make a truce with myself. No more demands to be productive. Its ok to take time off from creating and just spend that time looking and thinking. I make some notes for myself and then find the next day is easier, or sometimes that evening is easier to get into the studio and putter, prep boards and look at what I have. I put pieces up on the sideboard in my. living room where I can stare at them when I’m in my comfy chair gazing out the window. It helps me see what I can do differently, where I can tweak, and where I should begin differently. Of course putting many layers on top of a blank board or on top of a glued photo is very calming for me. I’m still using all kinds of paper, tissue and mulberry and rice papers that I can embed, but also have more time to make better photo transfers. This is a time to be free even though I’m under house arrest (or so it seems). Of course I shoot on my walks everyday even if its just my iPhone camera. I go through the boxes of oddities and scrap metal I’ve collected and ignored and I make little still lifes from them. I try to make it fun and not demanding. That’s the only way I can get through this. Best to all of you and thank you for sharing.
I so love all of this Nancy. I need to take a page from your book and really be OK to just take it easy on myself. Thanks for sharing what you do.
Love your list, worthy of printing and putting on my work computer, which I am going to do right now 🙂
Thanks Clare it’s always nice to hear of what others are doing during this strange time.
I might also suggest trying something totally different from your normal encaustic.:
Try painting with watercolors on w/c paper. I usually just do something simple and abstract then I select an also simple photo and print on the watercolor paper. It’s fun to see where it leads. Glue it onto a board or panel and embellish with wax, oil sticks whatever.
Also, a commenter above mentioned she like puttering around. A while back a very smart personal coach told me that puttering around was very good way of de-stressing and good for creativity.
Cheers!
Love this idea Tanya. A friend of mine paints landscapes and when she feels stuck she does abstract work. She doesn’t like abstract but it loosens her up to get back to her landscapes that she loves:)
I love what Nancy said, “It’s ok to take time off from creating and just spend that time looking and thinking.” I totally believe in the power of being S T I L L. But when I’m ready to try to stoke some creative energy, one thing that sometimes works is to step away from the computer and actually pick up a printed piece like a book or a magazine. I find inspiration by reading decorator magazines like House Beautiful, Elle Decor, or others. It’s interesting to see artwork that designers are curating in their client’s homes (or that the clients want to display prominently) or see the color palettes that are being used. I also love looking at travel magazines like Conde Nast Traveler or Travel & Leisure, especially since we’re not doing much traveling these days. When I’m looking for motivation, I also turn to books — sometimes even ones that I’ve read before like Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, which sparked incredible energy for me. And another trick for me is doing something that isn’t directly involved with creating art, but may lead me in that direction. For instance, going back through photos I’ve taken and saved. Now that’s a never-ending project!
Love all these ideas Jeanne. Just because we are not putting wax to a substrate doesn’t mean that we are not creating. All those things are inspiration and lead to who we are and what comes from the heart:)