We can all relate to the idea that we need to trust the process of art making. The unknowing, the exploring, the vulnerability, the uncertainty, the breakthroughs, the wrong turns, the moments of brilliance…it’s a complex and mysterious process to engage in right? Hell yes it is! And try as we might, we can’t avoid those moments when panic surges through us and we wonder – “What the heck am I going to do now?”

It’s called getting stuck. It almost always happens, even if it’s brief. We stare at the canvas completely perplexed, like someone just snatched the map out of our hands!

It’s frustrating, scary and well… just not fun. It’s usually the perfect opportunity for your inner critic to rear it’s ugly head.

So what should we do instead of melting down? Here is a list of 10 ideas to help you get Unstuck while staying in alignment with trusting yourself.

6. Ask for criticism.

Ask for constructive criticism from a trusted fellow artist or in a safe Facebook group (like ours) getting ideas from others can be wonderful and help you learn how to take feedback. Only act on the feedback that feels right to you but be open to trying something you hadn’t thought of.

7. Play some music and dance!

Work out that frustrated, stuck energy by moving your body. This can energize you and shift you to focusing on your intuition rather than your logic. Listen to your body….it will have different ideas than your mind.

8. Do something mundane.

Go wash the dishes or unload the dishwasher. Go vacuum a room or take a shower. This kind of activity allows the mind to wander and your imagination to awaken. Don’t be surprised if ideas emerge!

9. Explore ideas digitally.

Take a photo of your work and then important it into an app like Procreate or a program like Photoshop….experiment on the piece in a digital world where mistakes can be easily corrected. This often sparks ideas for me!

10. Sleep on it.

Give this “stuck” piece a breather. Hang it on the wall where you will regularly see it and then give it some space.

Ok my friends, let’s take a little journey into Abstract Expressionism! Look, I get it…Abstract art isn’t for everyone. It can be a wee bit…well….abstract…but I invite you to put aside your thoughts about it for a minute and open your mind to these amazing artists. Yes plural, I have TWO artists for us to study this month – Helen Frankenthaler and Joan Mitchell.

You may ask why we are focusing on Abstract art? Well, I firmly believe that to create Abstract art, one has to fully embrace the unknown and yes…trust! Abstract art encourages us to really step off the edge into places where we respond to rather than control the process. It is conversation with color, form, space, line and emotion without rational or recognizable elements. Abstract art making confronts us with it’s undefinable nature, forcing us to surrender to the mystery that lies within.

Also, I must note that although you may not resonate with some of these works, realize that abstract painters like the two we are going to study moved artistic expression forward. Through their courageous risks, experiments and explorations, Abstract Expressionists brought to light a freedom in art that was not yet realized. A beauty and rawness that gave birth to a movement that flourishes and evolves today. For this I am grateful.

Sea Picture with Black (1959)

Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), whose career spanned six decades, has long been recognized as one of the great American artists of the twentieth century. She was eminent among the second generation of postwar American abstract painters and is widely credited for playing a pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. Through her invention of the soak-stain technique, she expanded the possibilities of abstract painting, while at times referencing figuration and landscape in unique ways. She produced a body of work whose impact on contemporary art has been profound and continues to grow.

Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928, and raised in New York City. She attended the Dalton School, where she received her earliest art instruction from Rufino Tamayo. In 1949, she graduated from Bennington College, Vermont, where she was a student of Paul Feeley. She later studied briefly with Hans Hofmann.

Frankenthaler’s professional exhibition career began in 1950, when Adolph Gottlieb selected her painting Beach (1950) for inclusion in the exhibition titled Fifteen Unknowns: Selected by Artists of the Kootz Gallery. Her first solo exhibition was presented in 1951, at New York’s Tibor de Nagy Gallery, and that year she was also included in the landmark exhibition 9th St. Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture.

MOUNTAINS AND SEA (1952)

To learn more about Helen and see her complete works go here:

While Helen Frankenthaler and Joan created during the same period and often exhibited together there is a clear difference in their approach to art making. In contrast to Frankenthaler’s spacious, color field work, Joan Mitchell’s paintings vibrate with brushstroke, mark and line. They almost bound to life before your eyes. Slashes of paint alongside delicate lines, watery drips and wandering scribbles, her works are filled to the brim with life. It is no wonder she was defined as an “action painter.” From her strokes, you can feel the pressure she used, the speed of her hand, the intensity of her grip. You can feel her body moving with the paint.

For me, she represents a pure kinesthetic expression of color and line, one which has little to do with logic or forethought. One art critic wrote – “ Her ability to reflect the flow of her consciousness in that of nature, and in paint, is all but unparalleled.” That is an achievement indeed – to channel your flow of consciousness directly to the canvas…don’t we all yearn for this in one way or another? A pure expression unhindered and untouched by the critical mind.

12 HAWKS AT 3 O’CLOCK (1960)

Mitchell gave personal support to many young artists who came to stay with her at Vétheuil—sometimes for just one night; sometimes for an entire summer. Correspondence in her papers reveals that this generosity often had a life-changing impact on those that spent time with her. Mitchell died in Paris on October 30, 1992 of lung cancer.

To learn more about Joan and see her complete works go here:

Here’s a Pinterest board full of her work to inspire you!

Before we begin our explorations, I wanted to provide a cohesive theme for us to focus on. This will help unify our explorations and provides us with a simple place to start when approaching a VERY blank sketchbook.

Our sketchbook theme this month is Abstraction. Since we are focusing on self trust, it only makes sense that we explore the mysterious unknown landscape of abstraction in our sketchbooks. When we separate ourselves (and our self worth) from the outcome of our creations we deepen our self-trust and self compassion. With Abstract art, it is truly about being open to the discovery, mystery and experimentation that is inherent in this work.

Please remember, our explorations in our sketchbook are really just access points to get you into the flow. However, they can also be seeds for new ideas, concepts and themes in your art. Some of them will be more about writing and others more about drawing and painting. You will see below three prompts and exercises explained and photographed from my own sketchbook. You are welcome to expand upon, invent and experiment with your own concepts too. Use our color palette if you want to. You will see I stay in that theme for my explorations. These may feel silly at first but let your inner artist play.