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Jumping the artist's "writer's block" is very simple. To rekindle the artist in you, you need to begin at the beginning.

Think back to the first time you felt that creativity surge from your brain to your hands. You had just tripped headlong over an idea which you never would have dreamed would inspire you to create. So how do you recreate that randomness?

1. Clear your mind and return to the beginning. If you cannot return to the location where you first felt it, go to the next best place. Find the place near you which seems to be art incarnate. It could be in front of a stained glass window in a cathedral or at the edge of a babbling brook. Drive through the mountains or the swamp. You may even find a trip to the animal shelter will do it for you.

2. Carry in your pocket a notepad and a pen, so that you can jot down the ideas before they are lost. Do this all the time. As you travel, you will spark ideas and inspiration. If your locale is not truly inspiring the artist in you, maybe your rekindling needs to take the form of using different fuel.

3. The storied "blue period" of a great artist comes when they step away from their natural platform and choose a darker or more emotional theme. Visit a cemetery, and touch a headstone. Entertain the gravity of a life captured in an epitaph, or contemplate the finality of mortality.

4. A celebration fills the soul with happiness, which often is the best instigator of creativity. Attend a child's birthday party, or sketch in the bleachers of a soccer game. Get a good seat at a ballet, or close your eyes while listening to an aria.

5. Retreats historically play a large role in the lives of truly successful artists. Since the grind of daily life wears away the inspiration, remove yourself from the fray. Even if you cannot afford to retreat to a remote destination, you can afford to expel "life" from your space for a time. Unplug the telephone. Turn off the television. Put out a "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Yet, with all of these inspirations, the best way to rekindle your art is simply to sit before your desk and do. If you cannot find the way to begin, attempt to copy your favorite project you have completed. Do this from memory. You may just be surprised how different, better or not, your new piece will be.

Rekindle your inner artist. Inspiration is all around you. Take that first step, and you will trip right over it.

Learn more about this author, Ann Marie Dwyer.
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