Artist's Block | Teen Ink

Artist's Block

January 19, 2012
By beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt


How my back aches,
hunched over this
half-finished canvas!
Oh, what was I thinking?

I sigh, defeated
in my aimless attempt
to brighten the World
with my Art.

Why do I even bother?
I look at the paint
splatters that now
coat the room.

The glass mockingly
laughs at the ragged,
hopeless girl in holed
jeans and pink T-shirt.

Dark hair stands up in
a thousand directions,
eyes ringed black
from ongoing tiredness.

From my stomach
a disgruntled sound
escapes, from lack
of nourishment.

Bits of yellow cling
to my shirt, while
red decorates my
cracked nails.

Waves of green and
fat drops of blue
now adorn my
golden-brown arms.

What I sad picture
I must make to you.
The starving, frustrated
artist who has given up.

What can I say?
I am simply blocked.
What is the cure
for this dry sickness?

I sigh again heavily,
and tip my face
toward the ceiling,
closing my eyes.

Oh inspiration,
sweet motivation!
Where have you
disappeared to?

What a letdown,
I say to myself
Can I keep living
in horrible failure?

It is then at
my lowest point,
ready to quit and
throw away the brush,

that I remember the
reason why I paint---
not just for expression
or an outlet for feelings.

I make Art
to feed my soul.
I create because
it's my home.

I leave this world and
disappear into my own.
Inside my imagination,
my mind is free.

My fingers dance
across a white page,
leaving behind strokes
of precious colors.

Through my Art
I wish to discover
the beauty of all things
and to capture it.

To have stop and marvel
at what I've created
with these hands---
This is why I paint.

Art is not perfect,
it is not meant to be.
I need only please me,
and no one else.

That rush of satisfaction
I receive, when
completing a piece
is my own reward.

As these thoughts speed
through my brain,
I dip the brush
and begin the magic.


The author's comments:
I revised this poem---I wanted to describe the creative exhaustion artists endure. Also, that art is not meant to be exact or even perfect--just make it fun for you.

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This article has 30 comments.


on Jun. 17 2013 at 12:11 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Thank you! When I wrote this piece I thought of myself, how an artist's worst critic is himself or herself. But we all create for the same reason: to show the world our perspective, something that cannot be expressed through words. And thanks for the fiction/non-fiction compliment:)

on Jun. 17 2013 at 10:12 am
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light&quot; --Dylan Thomas

This is really good!! I loved the descriptions because it was like i was watching this girl who had given up and then bam he turned and began the magic. Beautiful poem, but it sounds like you have the makings of as fiction writer or non fiction ;) anyway, have a nice day and keep rockin

on Apr. 25 2012 at 1:17 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Thanks, glad u liked it.

Critter10 said...
on Apr. 25 2012 at 9:54 am
Critter10, Roanoke, Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 10 comments
The imagery in this is really good. Overall a great poem. I love the last three stanzas. I can tell that you put yourself into your work, which is the best thing in my opinion a writer can do.

on Apr. 8 2012 at 6:21 am
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

I'm glad that others can see where I was going with this piece. Thanks for commenting~

Kiyoko GOLD said...
on Apr. 8 2012 at 1:19 am
Kiyoko GOLD, Knoxville, Tennessee
10 articles 0 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
Independence is my happiness, I view things as they are without regard to place or person. My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine

This has some really nice lines in it, and is very relatable. I do visual arts as well as writing, and this captures the feeling you get when facing a lack of inspiration for either of them. Very nice!

on Mar. 26 2012 at 7:36 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Thank you for your comment~

Ariya GOLD said...
on Mar. 26 2012 at 7:31 pm
Ariya GOLD, Charleston, South Carolina
12 articles 1 photo 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
Some men just want to watch the world burn.<br /> -Alfred (Batman Begins)

The way that you explain the artist's creativity block is magnifisant.  It pretty much sums up exactly how i feel when I lack inspiration.

on Mar. 23 2012 at 2:53 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Thank you for liking it---I'm glad others recognize and are able to identify with this feeling.

JonPull GOLD said...
on Mar. 23 2012 at 11:26 am
JonPull GOLD, Huntsville, Alabama
14 articles 4 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we&#039;ll never know most of them. But even if we don&#039;t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel &quot;

From one artist to another, this is so true. Loved it! Keep writing.

on Feb. 21 2012 at 9:12 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Thanks for your comment~

on Feb. 21 2012 at 5:57 pm
maizyiscrazy GOLD, Washington, District Of Columbia
10 articles 53 photos 261 comments

Favorite Quote:
I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe in miracles. ~Audrey Hepburn

Oh, you describe Artist's Block so well! This is exactly how I feel when I don't know what to paint/draw! Awesome job! The only thing that I would change is in the stanza about your stomach rumbling, I think that it is a bit of a mouthful and takes off from the rest of your poem's rhythm. Otherwise, though, great job! Five stars!

on Feb. 20 2012 at 5:08 am
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Cool, thanks for your comment and I'll be sure to check out "Forever" soon.

Aginger GOLD said...
on Feb. 19 2012 at 10:57 pm
Aginger GOLD, Bingen, Washington
11 articles 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Why are you so busy trying to fit in when you were born to stand out?&quot;

I love this poem! You portray the creative soul of an artist very nicely. I feel the exact same way except my outlet is writing. This is beautiful, nice job! I would love if you could read my poem "Forever." I just posted it, and I believe that you have already read my poem "Tempest Love." Thank you, and nice job!

on Feb. 18 2012 at 10:30 am
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

The "I" is a typo---just caught it now. I didn't notice it until now. Thanks for commenting. Glad you liked it~

on Feb. 18 2012 at 10:22 am
PhoenixCrossing GOLD, Tinley Park, Illinois
14 articles 0 photos 178 comments
This is a really good piece. Usually I hate longer pieces-especially when they're poetry but this one was enticing; I just had to go on. Really great imagery and sense of emotions. Your speaker had a clear personality and it worked very well with what you had written. There was one like that was odd; I assume it was a typo. The first line of your 9th stanza says, "What I sad picture". Is it supposed to be "a" instead of "I"? Anyways, great job!

on Feb. 10 2012 at 7:38 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

Thank you for that! I'm so happy that you can relate to the piece.

on Feb. 10 2012 at 7:26 pm
LihuaEmily SILVER, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
7 articles 3 photos 196 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;It is said that there&#039;s no such thing as a free lunch. But the universe is the ultimate free lunch.&quot; -Alan Guth

I like this! Such strong, clear imagery. So this is a piece of art in itself ... look at that! And it's funny for me to read this piece, because I can hardly relate to the satisfaction of articulating anything through art ... I do it through poetry, but never art! I am not a visual person. This poem gives me a very clear idea of what it is like to be a visually-driven person.

on Feb. 7 2012 at 6:10 am
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.<br /> --Eleanor Roosevelt

It's great you were able to relate to the poem and I thank you for the comment~

on Feb. 6 2012 at 9:14 pm
RayBaytheDinosaur GOLD, Hampton, South Carolina
18 articles 17 photos 159 comments

Favorite Quote:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

This has happened to me before too, you should post some paintings on here if you haven't already =) and great poem