Before I can even remember, I was always drawing. Art was something that was a huge part of my life growing up, I have boxes and boxes full of used sketchbooks from over the years. But once I got to college, my time got divided up in a way that drawing wasn't able to have as big of a part in my life as it did before. So I had a long break from drawing during the school year, and when I decided to start drawing again in the summer I felt really disappointed in myself. This has been a pattern for the past two years, but I decided this year I wasn't going to let it happen. I think that drawing is like exercising, if you stop doing it for a long period of time you're not going to be what you could before you stopped. Here are some of the ways that your work past art blocks and discouragement.

1. Draw to music

I usually do this as a warmup. Put your music on shuffle or pick a favorite playlist, then draw whatever the song makes you think of. The one catch is that you can only draw for the time it takes for the song to play, then you have to stop. It can be frustrating, but also a great way to brainstorm ideas and just get you into a creative mindset.

2. Pick a favorite picture and draw it

Whether it's a photograph or another artist's piece, just draw it. What I like about this is that it focuses on overall composition. I am definitely a person who falls back on face portraits with no backgrounds when I draw, so it's a good way for me to stretch myself. This is also a great way to develop your own artistic style. If you want to be more photorealistic, focus on how to develop those skills. If you really like the way a certain artist draws anatomy, you can look at how they use shapes and translate that into your own work.

3. Do something you've never done before

I've always admired pixel art but had no idea how to do it. But one night I just decided to download an app and go for it. It was so much fun, and I didn't have any pressure of previously being able to do it to weigh me down, I just tried my best and I came out feeling really happy with the result. Plus, you may find that you really love doing this new thing and decide to get better at it!

4. Do figure drawings

This is by far one of the most helpful things I've ever done. Forcing myself to look at and draw real bodies has helped me understand movement and intention that now translates into what I draw in my own style. There is a YouTube channel called Croquis Cafe that has videos of live models that are broken up into sections of two, five, ten, and more minute sections designed to make you sketch quickly then move into greater detail, which you can find here. The body diversity is really great, that have men and women of varying sizes and proportions for you to draw, which makes it much more worth it.

5. Draw out characters from a favorite book

But if it also have a movie then don't draw the actors! Right now I'm doing this with Harry Potter and it's a lot of fun. Looking up descriptions of people and trying to create that is a fun challenge that can help you get out of a rut. There's clear direction in this activity and you can put a face to the name of your favorite character.