Jana Schirmer

The German artist on losing then regaining her mojo

You posted about your artistic frustrations on Facebook – has anything changed since?

Things have got a lot better. I received overwhelming feedback from other artists, saying they sometimes go through the same problems. This support was awesome. It helped me relax and focus on fighting the problem.

How did you manage to find your motivation again?

The first thing was not to get too stressed about it. It’s hard to accept sometimes that there will be times where you just need to rest, and it’s totally okay! I’m listening to myself more and trying to see what direction I want to go. I’m having fun painting and drawing again. I’m very self-critical – sometimes it helps drive me forward, but in this case it’d stopped me in my tracks.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned for the experience?

I learned mostly that we’re all human and can’t function 100 per cent all the time. Giving yourself time to breathe and refuel is important. I’d get stressed when I saw all these artists posting amazing work on Facebook and I wasn’t producing anything. But everyone has their ups and downs.

What would you say to an artist who feels they’re stagnating?

Try to remember what got you drawing in the first place. There are no rules for art, so there shouldn’t really be any reason to be stressed. Allow yourself to do whatever you want! Keep your eyes open for inspiration – outside the art world – for ideas that will make you excited to paint again. Maybe there’s something only you will be able to express a certain way?